A Period of Adjustment
by immo
Summary: Trying to fill in the blanks of how Kara and Alex became so close, starting from her landing on Earth. I am letting my imagination have free reign and making this KALEX.
1. Chapter 1

"Alex, sweetheart…" Jeremiah Danvers sighed, watching the teenager angrily scribble into her book. "I know this… came out of nowhere, really, dropped out of the sky-" Jeremiah was mid-laugh at his own joke but swallowed it quickly when his only daughter shot him a furious look. "But you have to understand-"

"I'm fine." Alex gritted out, her hand, white-knuckled around her pencil. "I understand perfectly."

"Honey." Jeremiah crossed the room in a couple of strides and sat down on her bed. With her desk pushed right against the bed, Jeremiah was able to reach out and still Alex's hand. "I need you to be mature about this. I know you're having trouble dealing with the fact that suddenly you have a new sister-"

"She's not my sister." Alex's voice came out in a low growl. "It was just you, me, and mom. And then-" Alex spat out the next words, all her teenage anger thrown at a convenient target. "-that GIRL came to live with us. Why can't Superman take care of his cousin by himself?"

"Alexandra Danvers." Jeremiah's voice firmed and he scowled at her. "I know you're angry, and maybe a bit jealous-"

"I'm not." Alex responded sullenly.

"-but this is not like you. We raised you to be a mature young lady." Jeremiah's tone softened. "Kara has lost everything. Just imagine if your whole world exploded and everyone you knew was gone."

"She still has Superman." Alex pointed out stubbornly. "So why can't she go to HIS family? Because if it's true that he came to Earth like her, he must have had a family here take care of her. Why doesn't she go there?"

"This isn't up for discussion." Jeremiah sighed. "It's… safer for Kara to be here with us, we've discussed this with Superman. Honey, I just want to know what's wrong. Why are you so upset about this?"

Alex sighed and put her pencil down, finally turning to look at her dad. "Just this whole week, it's been Kara this and Kara that. And I know, okay. She lost her whole family, she's all alone. And mom's yelling at me, and you forgot my soccer match at school."

Jeremiah cursed himself internally as he looked at Alex's dejected face. He HAD forgotten. The match had been two days ago and he had promised to go, along with Eliza! But they had had their hands full with the newly-arrived Kara and Eliza and him had been busy making sure Kara was okay…

"Oh, sweetheart I'm so sorry!" Jeremiah pulled his daughter into a hug and he could feel her stiffen up with resistance and rage, angry tears finally pouring out of her eyes as the story of her assisting in the winning goal came out in fierce angry sobs and how, even at the end, she still thought her parents would come. She waited and waited and by then, she had been stranded with no ride and had to haul herself and her kit home. Even when she got back and they saw her with her kit, Eliza had scolded her for 'going out to play' and he himself had told her she needed to stay with Kara and make her feel welcome. They had completely forgotten about her game. There had been a small emergency at home when Kara had squirreled away somewhere and they hadn't been able to find her for hours.

'I totally forgot.' Jeremiah sighed, berating himself. He just held his daughter and let her cry until most of the tears had dried up and, just like when she was a child, Alex struggled out of his arms after a few minutes of tears and put on a brave face.

"Don't tell mom." Alex hiccupped. "She'll be mad at me."

Jeremiah nodded, the proud tilt of Alex's head making his heart ache. His daughter was a strong one… he would mention the missed match to Eliza but knew that Alex meant her brief crying spell. Eliza wouldn't be mad… but she was just hard on Alex, always had been, and had pushed her to succeed.

"You've always been a good girl, Alex." Jeremiah smiled at the brave front Alex put up. "And we'll make it up to you, alright? But right now, we have to be really brave."

Alex nodded, wiping at her tears with her fingers, cheeks flushed with embarrassment at her own tears. She turned back to her work and picked up her pencil, sketching furiously again. That was a cue for Mr. Danvers to make his exit.

"Let's go out to mall tomorrow, maybe we can buy you something new for your kit so the next time you play, me and your mom can see some new gear on you!" Jeremiah patted his daughter's shoulder awkwardly before leaving the room, closing the door behind him softly. Hands digging into his hair, he growled in frustration, furious at himself and his wife for making their daughter feel like this. But it had to get better… the legal paperwork was being handled by some friends of Superman so Kara's sudden appearance on Earth would be discreet and she would be normal. Kara was going to be a part of the family and it would be great if the girls just got along.

With another sigh, Jeremiah plodded down the stairs. Seeing that there was nobody in the living room or the kitchen, the soft sound of voices drew him towards the back screen door.

"-forests, not like the ones on Earth, but mostly originating from our largest body of water, the Great Krypton Sea. With the instability of our planet, everything was dying." Kara was sitting on the grass, fingers splayed out as she felt the tickle of the vegetation under her palms. "As such, Eliza Danvers, we did not have so much… green. Not like Earth. It truly is the blue and green gem of this galaxy."

"Fascinating." Eliza's eyes were glued on the child. They both turned to him as they heard Jeremiah's approach.

"Alexandra Danvers did not seem well at dinner." Kara scrambled to her feet, anxiety clear on her face. "Has she contracted some sort of illness? How is her condition?"

"Alex is fine." Jeremiah reached out a hand to place on top of Kara's head. Unlike Alex, Kara was a supremely affectionate person and enjoyed the elder Danvers' hugs and pats on the head. "She'll be happy to hear about your concern. But how are you doing?"

"I am well." Kara fidgeted. This family had been nothing but welcoming towards her, and actually had helped her deal with the death of her parents better than Kal-El had. Kal-El was… well, a fumbling big baby, Kara had decided. Her little cousin may be older than her on Earth, but she was still older than him and he had never had to deal with loss on the scale Kara had experienced. Superman was far out of his depth. He had not grown up on Krypton and was more an Earthling than a Kryptonian. Earth was his home and he was a journalist. The Danvers, however, reminded Kara more of home with their experiments and theories and excitement in the quest for knowledge. Kal-El's vocation could be seen as a pursuit of knowledge, but the Kryptonians and especially Kara's father was the equivalent of an Earth-scientist. Kara's mother was an Adjudicator, but their family had always been, at the core, people of intellectual pursuits.

"Kara, do you want to get ready for bed? I know it's been a long day." Eliza stroked her fingers through Kara's hair. It had been a rough day, really. Eliza had taken Kara out to the mall and the young blonde had freaked out and had been near catatonic until Eliza had gotten them somewhere private so the blonde could relax. With exposure to Earth's sun, Kara had the same powers as Superman. But unlike Superman, Kara came to Earth as an adolescent and the superpowers were something she had to deal with, especially her super senses. Sometimes, things became… overwhelming, and the sensory overload would translate over as intense, debilitating pain. Her body's only defense against that onslaught of white noise was to completely shut down. Which was what happened at the mall that day.

"Yes." No longer absorbing the sun's rays, Kara still knew she had super-powers, but it was still a relief. Kal-El had taught her how to sleep on Earth, to rest her mind. Even if she didn't need to anymore, Kal-El had stressed the need to do so. She no longer had a home and Kara needed to fit in and not give herself away.

Going through the night-time routines that Eliza had taught her, she finally went to bed, lay there and stared up at the ceiling. It was more than a bit overwhelming and she could feel her eyes watering at the thought of everything she ever knew back on Krypton, gone forever. She stared through her roof, still having trouble controlling that part of her power, out into the night sky. The constellations were a bit different than home, but at least she could imagine that she was back on Krypton and not in this strange new world.

Kara didn't know that her weeping was audible outside her door, but was alerted to the fact that someone was there when the door creaked open.

"Hey." Alex looked at her grumpily,surprised she had been caught looking in on the girl. "You're… crying. It's loud."

"My sincerest apologies, Alexandra Danvers." Kara swept at her wet cheeks with her hands, sitting up on her bed quickly. "I did not mean to disturb your rest."

"It's Alex." Alex hated when people called her Alexandra. She sighed and left the room, coming back with a glass of water and a box of kleenex.

"Here. Wipe your face." Alex pulled out a couple of kleenexes and gave it to Kara. "Drink some water, maybe it'll help you sleep."

"I do not sleep, Alexan-Alex." Kara frowned a bit at the shortening of the name, feeling wrong using it but eager to please the older girl. She took the proffered glass of water with a thank you and gulped down the liquid, marvelling at the slight mineral taste of the water. Everything was new. Eating was new. Kara was eating a little bit at the time, but the food had been… weird in her system, but it was her favourite thing about Earth so far. Kara was not sick, but it digested differently what with her new powers.

"But you eat."

"I do not need to eat." Kara wanted to squirm under Alex's gaze. The brunette was an oddity to Kara. While the elder Danvers were welcoming, talkative and affectionate; Alex was distant and cold. Tonight, she wasn't… unfriendly, but more curious. Not wanting the conversation to end for some reason, she continued talking. "When I was with Kal-El, we did not eat and we spent the entirety of our time together teaching me how to adapt to Earth's atmosphere and how to control my powers-though I seem to be having a bit of a problem with that."

"Are you going to accidentally blast someone with your eye ray thing?" Alex frowned.

"Oh, absolutely not." Kara shook her head, horrified. "I have that firmly in control. Think of it functioning not unlike… a sphincter that naturally remains closed unless I force it open."

"Ew."

"... a female sheep?"

"No. I mean that sphincter metaphor sounds… like, you know. It's not a pretty thing."

"Understandable."

Alex gravitated towards the chair situated in front of the lone desk in the room, sitting down to study Kara. "Why do you talk like that?"

"Am I speaking incorrectly?" Kara asked self-consciously.

"No… your grammar and everything is fine. But you're too formal." Alex pursed her lips. "You can tell, right? There's a difference between how I speak and how you speak."

"Yes." Kara tilted her head and frowned, still not understanding.

"It'll be hard for you to fit in." Alex pointed out. "You'll draw attention to yourself cuz nobody speaks like that normally. Not even adults."

"Understood." Kara looked troubled. "It will take some time to change my way of

speaking. But I will attempt to adapt."

"Well, you're already calling me Alex, so that's a start." Alex gave her a small smile of

encouragement, Kara's own shy smile making Alex forget that she should be resentful of this stranger in her house.

"Did Superman teach you? How to speak English?" Alex had never really spoken to the Man of Steel before, but from some news reports, she knew he didn't speak like Kara.

"No. My spacecraft has language modules. After I landed on Earth, it was directed to teach me the language most spoken by the majority of the population in the closest proximity to me." Kara explained.

"So not Spanish?"

"I can speak Spanish." Kara smiled. "But the people I communicate with regularly are English-speakers so I seldom have to use Spanish."

"Did it take you a long time to learn?"

"No. The language acquisition was instantaneous." Kara bit her lower lip in thought. "Learning would be the closest approximation of the bond I share with my spacecraft. Would programming be a better way to describe the language function? It is… a mix between traditional Earth programming and learning, though I am not a machine."

Time passed by, Alex asking question after question while Kara eagerly answered them, the aching hurt momentarily bearable as they spoke quietly about Earth and Krypton. When the sky started to brighten outside, Alex finally excused herself, donning her gruff exterior again.

"I have to go to sleep." Alex stood up abruptly and made to go. She was thankful that it was going to be Sunday morning. If Alex had to go to school, she would probably fall asleep in all her classes.

"Alex!" Kara called out after the retreating brunette.  
"Shh! Kara, it's like, 5am!" Alex turned back a finger to her lips.

"Alex," Kara repeated, quieter. Then the blonde beamed a full-blown open-lipped grin at Alex, and the older girl thought that it wasn't unlike looking at the sunrise. Warm, bright, and beautiful.

"Thank you." Kara felt better. Better than she had since that awful day when her parents sent her away from their dying planet.

Alex shrugged awkwardly, not really knowing what she was being thanked for, just wanting to hurry back to her room before her parents woke up to find her still away.

"You're welcome."


	2. Chapter 2

Kara was a flower, Alex had surmised. Physiologically, in respect to her powers, and also in the way this bright, cheery girl seemed to be withering up and wilting away.

"Come on, Kara. Maybe some sunlight?" Eliza half-suggested, but mostly pleaded. The blonde had decided to hide herself in the basement where it was quieter and darker and spent most of her time lying on the old couch in the basement.

"I am okay, Eliza Danvers." Kara tried to smile but it was really hard. She had been learning a more colloquial way of speaking, but sometimes still sounded like a robot to Alex. The brunette fidgeted impatiently; she had promised her friends that she would go out but her mother wouldn't let her and had scolded Alex for not trying to help. So now here she was, shuffling at the top of the stairs, feeling guilt, guilt, guilt.

"Come on, honey." Eliza's voice floated up the stairs. "How about some food?"

"I am fine." Kara said firmly, but politely. "I just want to… sleep."

They all knew Kara didn't sleep, Alex most of all. Sometimes she went over to Kara's room to check on Kara when she heard her crying. Sometimes, Alex did not, mentally and emotionally exhausted from the thought of caring about another being besides herself and her parents.

The sound of her mother's footsteps coming up from the basement drew Alex away from her thoughts. Before she could voice what she wanted, her mother held up a finger in warning.

"Alexandra Danvers. Could you please go downstairs and try to cheer up your sister." It sounded like a request, but the use of her full name told Alex that she was going to be in a world of trouble if she didn't go.

"Alright." Alex cut off her long-suffering sigh at the pointed look her mother gave her. She of course, also held back the urge to shout back that Kara wasn't her sister but knew she would definitely get into heaps of trouble for that. "Can I at least go outside and tell Rebecca I can't hang out?"

Eliza nodded, allowing the teenager to escape her mother's presence for a second to go to her friend patiently waiting at the door.

"What took you so long?!" Rebecca screeched as soon as Alex opened the door.

Or not so patiently.

"I can't go right now." Alex hissed, waving her hand frantically to get her friend to quiet down.

"Why not?" Rebecca's whisper was still too loud in Alex's opinion.

"I have to hang out with my foster sister."

"Oh, ew." Rebecca's lips twisted up into a haughty sneer. "Isn't it weird having a stranger in your home?"

Alex shrugged uncomfortably, feeling an odd sense of indignation at the way the other girl talked about Kara. Rebecca hadn't even met her yet!

"Just ditch, come on!" Rebecca motioned with her head. "Once you're out the door, it's fine! Your mom will just yell at you for a bit and then everything will be fine!"

"I can't do that-"

"Brendan's going to be meeting us at the mall." Rebecca continued on as if Alex hadn't been talking at all. "Come on!"

Alex chewed on her lower lip anxiously. Sure, Alex was a soccer star, but that didn't mean much right now except that you got really dirty and people told you that boys' soccer was way more interesting to watch. Being a 'ginormous nerd' as Rebecca put it, was a boon to Alex's social life: all the really cool kids needed her for their homework. Enter the Queen Bee, Rebecca Francelli. Recently they had been hanging out and Alex hoped that some of the coolness would rub off on her.

"Seriously, I can't." Alex said weakly. "Maybe next time-"

"Alright, loser." Rebecca rolled her eyes. "I'll tell Brendan you can't come."

Alex barely managed to control herself and not slam the door behind Rebecca, angry at the missed chance to hang out with new friends, but she took a deep breath and started trudging through the house and down the stairs. Alex huffed at the darkness, inching her way carefully through the junk the Danvers family had piled up in the basement, to the couch where Kara was sitting listlessly.

"Alex." Kara's eyes tracked Alex as the girl plopped herself down on the couch opposite of Kara.

"Kara." Alex stretched out her legs on the couch and the blonde shrunk away from her to sit at the far end of the couch, putting as much space between the two as physically possible. It had been a tough week for Kara, really. She had accidentally broken the front door, a wall, the remote, a window, a computer keyboard, and bruised the hell out of Jeremiah Danvers' ribs. "It's Saturday. You love Saturday morning cartoons, and in ten minutes or so, Kim Possible will be on!"

Kara looked conflicted, but shook her head. "It's okay. I want to stay here. Maybe with less sunlight, I will stop breaking things."

"You just need to get used to it, and hiding from the world isn't going to help you." Alex pointed out. "Come on."

"You don't need to stay with me." Kara's eyes were a watery blue. "I am keeping you from your friends.."

Alex winced. She had hoped that Kara hadn't heard any of the conversation she had with her mother, and especially not the conversation she had with Rebecca.

"It's ok, Kara. I can stay here with you."

"You don't have to 'hang out' with me, I will be 'okay'." Kara was using hand air-quotes, something she learned from that Kim Possible cartoon she was always watching. Alex was sure the blonde was using these air quotes incorrectly and broke out into a large grin at Kara's attempt to be more 'Earth-normal'.

"I'll be 'okay' here with you, too, 'Kara'." Alex did air-quotes too, still grinning at the younger girl. Kara couldn't help her lips from stretching upwards at the sight of Alex's toothy smile.

"Stop!" Kara held her hands to her cheeks, trying to prevent herself from smiling, only succeeding in making Alex start laughing at how ridiculous Kara looked with her cheeks squished together. Within a few seconds, Kara was laughing along with Alex, but with her hands still firmly pressed to her cheeks.

"Stop… stop, Alex." Kara laughed and laughed along with Alex, until she was suddenly sobbing and Alex stopped laughing abruptly to regard Kara in alarm.

"I… have to stop…" Kara hid her face in her hands and shrunk away when Alex tried to move closer, frantic.

"Kara, Kara what's wrong?" Alex placed her hand on Kara's shoulders, determined to try to get younger girl to talk to her.

"I… you make me smile." Kara sobbed into her hands, still turned away from Alex. "And… laugh."

"That's a bad thing?" Alex was bewildered.

Kara sounded completely broken as she sobbed out her next words. "How can I… still laugh. When… Krypton is gone?"

Alex had always kept contact with Kara to a minimum, just because she was never much of a hugger, but she knew instinctively that Kara needed Alex there, so she wrapped her arms around that tiny frame that hid such incredible power.

"I'm so sorry, Kara." Alex apologized, didn't know what she was apologizing for. "I'm sorry."

"It's not… your… fault." Kara's entire body was shaking. Alex rubbed the young girl's back in a, what she hoped, was a soothing manner. "I just… don't know how to… make it stop."

"Make what stop?" Alex just held Kara as tight as possible, not knowing what else to do.

"Hurting. It…" Kara laughed a bit deliriously. "I feel better than… I've ever felt. But that… makes me feel worse."

Alex leaned her head against Kara's back, could hear that strong heart thumping steadily inside the Kryptonian's body, could hear her sobs draw in air in gulping spurts, and could feel Kara's body shudder, and hear her breath catch on her tears. Alex didn't know what to do, didn't know how to make it better. For someone like Kara, who had powers equal to Superman, to hurt like this… she didn't know how she could help.

"I don't know how to make it better." Alex admitted aloud. "I don't know if there's anything that could make it better. But how could I help?"

Kara didn't reply, instead she turned around and burrowed her face into Alex's chest, still sobbing her heart out. All Alex could do was hold on tightly and hope that this helped, at least a little bit.

'It must be so hard for her.' Alex stroked Kara's back in soothing circles, trying to remember and mimic what her mother would do for her when she felt sick. It must be so hard to lose everyone and everything and then be brought to a different world where the only person from your own world was more like these… aliens than yourself.

"I miss my mom. And I miss my dad." Kara wailed, sobs wracking her body. "I want to go home."

Alex leaned her cheek against the top of Kara's head, the wheels in her brain spinning as she tried to think of ways to make it better, to make Kara stop crying at least. Her resentment and anger against Kara for making her stay home faded away, guilt settling into the tiny cracks Kara was making in her walls.

Kara was a golden child and Alex's parents were smitten by her, but Kara wasn't here to purposely rain on Alex's parade.

"I'm sorry, Kara." Alex repeated. She was sorry for being annoyed with Kara, sorry for some of her less charitable thoughts, and sorry for the way she had felt when Kara first showed up. Right there and then, Alex resolved to try harder to make Kara feel welcome.

They sat like this for a while, until Kara's weeping had dried up to sniffles. In the dark in the basement, Alex had no concept of time but her butt was starting to get pins and needles from not moving for a while. The older girl shifted a little bit to get more comfortable, causing Kara to look up at Alex in alarm.

"Don't go. Please." The desperation in Kara's voice was heart-breaking.

"I'm right here." Alex shifted around until Kara was pressed up against her side and Alex could wrap an arm around the Kryptonian's shoulders. "I've got you, I've got you."


	3. Chapter 3

"I do not think this is a good idea." Kara was chewing on her bottom lip. They were in the car and heading into town for some ice cream. Jeremiah had thought it would be a great experience and Eliza had seconded that motion. Surprisingly, it was the kids who exchanged the nervous glances and voiced their apprehensions all the way to the car.

"Nonsense, it'll be good to have you out! You've been doing a lot better the last couple of days and the only way to learn is to make mistakes!" Jeremiah said cheerfully while Eliza laughed along, the yes-man to Jeremiah's suggestions. Alex really felt like this was the twilight zone. Her loving parents, firm and strict disciplinarians, were whooping about ice cream and talking about making mistakes.

"I do not think making mistakes is absolutely necessary for learning." Kara looked from one parent to the other, then when she received no response except the excited trills of 'ice cream!', the blonde turned to Alex in exasperation.

"I do not know why they are making such a big deal about this ice cream." Kara muttered lowly. Alex could not help but crack a smile.

"Don't worry, you'll love it."

Kara nodded cautiously. After the cry-out in the basement, the two had gone upstairs so Kara could sunbathe in the backyard to feel better. They had lounged at home, watching random shows on the television while Kara sat close to Alex, not leaning on her, but with her arm pressed against Alex's. She could feel Alex's pulse pumping steadily through skin, cloth, skin, settling her own heart rate and letting her concentrate on ONE source of sensory stimuli. She could watch TV without the weird x-ray vision fading in and all other sounds could be turned down to low as long as she kept Alex's heartbeat in the background of her mind. They had had a good couple of days, with Kara waiting anxiously for Alex at the door for her to come home from school, then following Alex around like a little puppy. Just like that, they made it through the second week of Kara's stay on Earth. The parents had decided that was cause for celebration.

Rumbling along in the car, Kara patted the acoustic earmuffs fitted over her head with a little bit of relief. She could still hear, but the earmuffs definitely helped a bit. With her other hand, she inched her hand out, tentatively, so finally her pinkie was juuuuust touching Alex's pinkie. The brunette glanced down for a second, then very quickly placed her pinkie on top of Kara's, her heartbeat thrumming through Kara's nail. Slow. Steady. Strong.

"Alex, what's so special about this ice cream?" Kara was curious.

"You'll see." Alex's smile was both mischievous and delighted, so different suddenly from the Alex who had first greeted her that Kara wished that she had one of those capture devices that could capture Alex's image on 'paper'. Kara accepted that response and continued looking out the window at this strange, new world.

They soon arrived, stopped and parked curbside. Kara waited nervously for Eliza to open the car door for her, slipping out carefully when she did.

"Kara, can you hear with those headphones on?" Eliza asked, putting a hand on Kara's head. The blonde nodded, taking a deep breath to steady herself as she followed the two adults and walked as close to Alex as possible. The steady thrumming of the brunette's heart was now the go-to focuser for Kara. It was easy to pick out that beat now, the steady lud-dub of her heart.

The ringing of the bell over the door as the Danvers pushed through into the ice cream shop was loud and jarring, and Kara lost the sound of Alex's heartbeat, confused with all the other sounds and the few people in the shop along with all the sights and smells.

"Kara," Jeremiah waved her over excitedly. "Take a look!"

Kara glanced over at Alex who nodded encouragingly. The blonde trudged over to the glass display cases and looked down into tubs full of multi-coloured… stuff.

"What is this?" Kara looked up at Jeremiah and asked.

"Ice cream." Alex answered, squeezing in beside her and another kid, who had had his face pressed up against the glass, and who was now gaping at Kara in shock.

"You've never heard of ice cream?!" The little kid squeaked. "It's the best thing ever!"

"Well, I haven't been on this planet long-" Kara stuttered. "-this side of the planet. This side."

"They don't have ice cream in China?!" The kid continued to be amazed, still gaping in open-mouthed shock at Kara.

"Come on, which flavour would you like?" Eliza interrupted the exchange, trying to calm her speeding pulse at Kara's slip of tongue.

"Rocky road?" Kara wrinkled her nose. "Reese's peanut butter cup? None of these sound good at all."

It all did smell delicious but she was hopelessly lost and finally just looked over at Alex helplessly.

"Let's have a taste test." Alex crossed her arms over her chest, looking very much proud of herself that she knew what to do in this situation and was a connoisseur of ice cream. "Let's start with the basics."

The other people in the shop had gotten their ice cream and left to sit outside, so the two employees behind the counter focused their attention on the small family.

"Let's do vanilla, cookie dough, rainbow sherbert, mango tango, very berry strawberry, and chocolate." Alex announced importantly. Jeremiah raised an eyebrow and chuckled while Eliza hid her smile behind a hand as she repeated the order and held out the little pink spoons with the samples for Kara to try.

Kara's big blue eyes were wide with delight as she tried the flavours, almost vibrating with pleasure at the new tastes that exploded on her tongue.

"Which one do you like best?" Alex had a crumpled twenty dollar bill in her pocket that her dad had slipped to her before he and her mom went outside to enjoy the setting sun.

"I can have another one?" Kara's eyes widened, then she leaned in to whisper. "But we may go over our quota."

"Quota?" Alex was puzzled.

"Our ingestibles quota." Kara looked nervous. When Alex still had the same confused look on her face, Kara finally slapped her palm on the front of her forehead in a perfect mimic of Ron Stoppable doing his facepalm. "I forget I am not on Krypton."

"What?"

Kara smiled, pained. "We absorb our energy from the sun. Ingestibles are a luxury and we have a quota on this as resources were low back home. It was… prohibited, especially when it came to pleasurable items like this. Most families have a cache, though, for special occasions."

"You can have whatever you want here, Kara." Alex said firmly and took the blonde's hand in her own. Kara looked down wonderingly at their joined hands, then met Alex's eyes with an almost heart-breakingly astonished look on her face.

"Can I have the chocolate?" Kara carefully cradled Alex's hand in her own, concentrating as much as possible to control how hard she held Alex's hand.

"One chocolate, please. And one mango." Alex ordered. She had seen how Kara had looked between the mango and the chocolate. If she ordered the mango, Kara could have a bit of hers.

With ice creams in hand, they exited the ice cream shop, bumping right into a group of Alex's schoolmates.

"Alex!" Rebecca was there with a couple of other girls and guys, but most importantly, Brendan, who had been talking to her parents politely. He shot her a winning smile when he saw her.

"Hey, Alex."

"Brendan! Rebecca." Alex felt suddenly self-conscious and very aware of Kara's presence right behind her.

"Rebecca said you've been busy recently." Brendan continued. He was tall and muscular, seeming almost as alien as Kara since he and his family were about the only other Asian family in town. His parents worked with her parents at the same place; the labs in this quiet little town did attract a whole bunch of scientists.

"Yeah, a new foster sister?" Rebecca announced loudly, just toeing the line of politeness with Alex's parents in the background.

"This is Kara." Alex motioned Kara forward, full of teenage anxiety as all the kids from school studied Kara with intense curiosity. It was rare for new kids to come into this town, so Kara was an oddity.

"Hello." Kara was blinking rapidly, her free hand clenched into a fist and crossed over her chest protectively. Belatedly, Alex realized Kara still had her headphones on.

"What are THOSE?" Rebecca's voice held a barely there note of disdain.

"They are my noise-dampening over-ear cups." Kara's answer mortified Alex as she tried not to groan out loud.

"They're what?" Rebecca giggled, glancing back at her followers who also giggled at her lead. Kara was still blinking rapidly, her breath getting ragged. Suddenly, Kara's ice cream cone crumpled in her grip and the young Kryptonian was left with a handful of cone crumbs and chocolate ice cream. Not even realizing she was making a mess, Kara pressed both hands to her headphones, as if trying to make the headphones work harder, to block out all auditory input. Alex could hear the plastics of the earcups creaking, glancing over at her parents, panicked and felt even more alarmed to see her worry mirrored on their faces.

"Yeah, my parents have those, too." Brendan smiled at Kara, and those blue eyes darted to Brendan's face. He was firmly not joining in in the laughter, causing the giggles to die out quickly. His solid form moved so he blocked Kara's view of everyone. "They're good when you need some quiet, like when my mom gets headaches from my music, she'll wear them."

Alex felt nothing but grateful for Brendan as Kara smiled at him tentatively, probably not quite knowing what was going on but recognizing his friendliness. Alex took that opportunity to put a hand on Kara's shoulders, telling the blonde in barely audible tones to just breathe. Kara's head bobbed frantically in acknowledgement, making her seem even weirder, nodding at nothing. Alex winced, hearing a bit of laughter, but heard it die down when Brendan frowned and glared over his shoulder.

"Kara." Jeremiah's call got the girls' attention. "Alex, come on, let's go."

"It was nice meeting all of you." Kara squeaked politely before making a bee-line to the elder Danvers. Which left Alex standing in front of her peers, feeling awkward.

"See you in school, Alex." The look on Rebecca's face was pitying as Alex fumbled her goodbyes and her classmates filed into the ice cream store, leaving her alone outside, humiliated at the turn of events.

"Hey." Brendan's low voice made Alex jump a bit and she turned around to face him.

"I, um," Brendan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I understand, ya know? My cousin's special needs, too. Just take it easy and when you need help at school, just ask. I can help."

"Um, yeah, sure." Alex was blushing to the tips of her ears. "T-thanks."

"Alex!" Eliza called out, gesturing for her to join them. Eliza was busy trying to get Kara to open up her hands from the fists she had curled them into, to try to wipe at the chocolate staining the girl's hand.

"Coming!" Alex waved a quick goodbye and ran back to her family, resenting the fact that she had been interrupted, but that feeling disappearing when she noticed Kara hyperventilating.

"No, no, Kara." Alex felt her discomfort fall away now that she wasn't surrounded by her classmates. "Come on. Breathe. Like this."

Alex had taken Eliza's place in front of Kara, hands on either of Kara's biceps, awkwardly trying to hold her ice cream, too, until Jeremiah took it from Alex's hands.

Alex ducked her head to catch Kara's panicked eyes, forcing the blonde to look at her. Kara smiled tremulously, focusing on Alex, her x-ray vision finally clearing, her breath evening out, copying Alex's deep breaths. Alex's heart pounded through her, wiping out the white-noise of everything until it was just the steady bass of her heart.

"Let's go home." Alex gestured back to her dad for her ice cream, then presented it to Kara. Alex's heart felt so full at the look Kara gave her as she received the treat.

Carefully navigating Kara back to their vehicle, the small family quickly piled back in, Alex too worried about Kara to see her parents exchanging proud and hopeful glances. It wasn't until they had pulled out onto the road and were on their way home that Jeremiah broke the silence.

"Well, that went well!" Alex looked at her dad incredulously at his statement then frowned at her mother who was agreeing with him again. They really needed to get a reality check, Kara was not fine even if she was quietly eating ice cream right now. Kara's free hand was on the middle seat, her pinkie hooked onto Alex's.

"She just needs your support." Eliza's voice was firm, and Alex got the feeling that her mother was about to say something she wouldn't like, and wasn't disappointed.

"We think she's ready to go to school with you, starting next week."

"WHAT."

"We would've liked to keep Kara at home for a while more, but with the adoption and even with Superman's friends helping us, we still have to show that we can give Kara a stable home life, which includes going to school." Jeremiah looked at Alex in the reflection of the rearview mirror. "And you've shown that you're just fantastic at helping Kara deal with everything, honey."

Putting it that way was sneaky of her parents and she cut off her protest when her mother glanced backwards at her with that tight, expectant smile.

"Yeah, sure."

The slight pressure of Kara's pinkie on hers made the brunette turn to face Kara. The younger girl gave her a hesitant smile, which Alex returned with a slightly brittle one of her own. She wanted to be angry at Kara, but when the blonde offered the mango tango ice cream to Alex timidly, her anger drained out of her.

"Alex, let's share." Kara held out the ice cream to Alex until the older girl finally took a bite and had to smile at Kara's bright grin.

"Okay."


	4. Chapter 4

It all came to a boil, by the second week of school with Kara, being called at least once a day to the office whenever the younger girl went catatonic and freaked out and needed her, having people avoid Kara and in turn, avoid Alex…

So the third week, Alex stayed in her room, didn't answer Kara's soft calls for her in the middle of the night, nor the tentative scratching (safer than knocking) at her door when everyone else was asleep. The first few nights she had opened her door, to reassure Kara and to coach her in what to do when she was freaking out. But there was only so much a teenager can take, with a new foster sister who wore weird headphones to school and either talked like an encyclopedia or characters out of Kim Possible. It was stressing her out and the only good thing to come out of this was that Brendan would seek Alex out every day to check in on her. Rick, the second-coolest guy in the school, would tag along, too and this little bit of attention meant she was SOMEBODY at school at least.

On Thursday of the the third week, Alex, who would usually walk Kara to class before heading to her own, left Kara quite abruptly to find her own way to class. Alex had felt immensely guilty as she walked away from Kara, but she had felt incredibly relieved. Her relief, of course, was short-lived when Kara had a panic attack right before lunch and Alex was called again to one of Kara's classes.

"Must be your new sister again." Rebecca had laughed glibly. "Guess you won't be having lunch with us after all."

Brendan had lagged behind to throw Alex a sympathetic look before following after the group and leaving Alex in the hallway, alone. The brunette stood there, annoyed with the whole situation, but made an about turn to walk as quickly as possible (no running in the halls!) to whatever class Kara had frozen up in.

"Ms. Danvers." The teacher in the class straightened up from where she was crouched beside Kara, relieved to see the brunette there. "She's not responding again." The plump, motherly teacher sighed. "I really think it's the lunch bell that sets her off.

"I've got her." Alex shrugged off her backpack, letting it fall to the floor, immediately squatting down in front of Kara so she could look into Kara's eyes.

"Kara." Alex touched Kara's shoulders gently. "Kara, it's ok. I've got you."

The blonde's eyes locked on hers, her breathing coming in wheezing gasps. In one of their nightly girl-talk sessions, Kara had spoken to Alex at length about the chemical composition of Earth's atmosphere and it's significant difference from Krypton. And the smells. And the sounds. And how it translated to debilitating sensory white noise that would shut her down.

"Mrs. Patterson, do you mind leaving the room?" Alex sent the teacher a reassuring smile. "Kara just needs some space."

"Of course." Mrs. Patterson smiled, patting Alex on the shoulder kindly. "You're a good girl, Alex."

Alex nodded, waiting impatiently until they were alone and the door was shut. In the privacy of the classroom, Alex pressed her forehead against Kara's, pushing off the headphones and covering Kara's ears with her hands.

"Look at me, Kara. Come on, I'm right here. I'm here." Alex smoothed Kara's hair back, away from her face and tucked these golden locks behind her ears. Kept her hands over Kara's ears, remembering how Kara had shyly told Alex that she listened to Alex's heartbeat to calm down and focus.

"Listen to me." Alex said soothingly. Her own irritation at her situation faded slightly at the fear in Kara's eyes, the tears streaking down her face. "I'm here, Kara. I got you."

Kara's rapid blinking steadily slowed down, along with her breathing as she focused on Alex desperately.

"I'm… sorry…" Tears still ran down her face. "I'm s-sorry."

"No, it's okay." Alex said brusquely. "Just concentrate on my heartbeat. I'm right here. We'll just go home early today so you can rest up."

"No.. No…" Kara shook her head emphatically. "I w-want to try. I can do it. I don't want to wear the headphones anymore."

"You can't." Alex snapped, finally at her wits' end. "You just can't, Kara. You can barely last an entire day without freaking out! It was too soon-What were my parents thinking?"

"I can do it." Kara's lower lip trembled. The older girl let go of Kara and didn't answer, bending down to pick up the headphones that had dropped to the ground then tried to put it back on over Kara's ears.

"I don't want it." Kara ducked away from the headphones, swiping at the tears on her face with the back of her hand. Her jaw was set determinedly. "I can do it. I can be normal."

"Kara." Alex's exhale was more a growl than anything else. "You can't. You can barely get through a day of school-"

"I… can… do it." Kara's breath hitched, but she had her hands on her hips, looking completely, pig-headedly stubborn.

Alex's face darkened and she could feel the anger well up in her from the frustration of this impossible situation. It was impossible for her to keep a watch on Kara, it was impossible for Kara to adjust to Earth, it was just impossible! It was impossible for anything to go right!

"You can't! You can barely get through a day without me coming to look for you!" Alex let out a sound of pure frustration. "Fine. Fine, you go ahead, then. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Alex spun on her heels, picking her backpack off the floor and angrily stalked out the door.

* * *

It didn't take much for everything to explode in Alex's face. Like quite literally. The sequence of events lead to Alex lying in bed (even though she really didn't need to) and her mother fussing over her and tucking her in. She had given Kara the cold shoulder, despite knowing that Kara needed the support. Alex had refused to talk to her and maintained a stony silence, even at home and at night, turning her back to the door when she knew Kara might come to her for comfort.

Then, when they went to school on Friday, Alex had quickly left Kara's side, hoping that the sounds of the school would scare her back to using the earmuffs. Kara had refused to wear them, even when Eliza asked her, but Alex had snuck the 'noise-dampening over-ear cups' into her backpack when they left the house. If it got to be too much, Kara could still wear them. But of course, Kara, even though she had her hands over her ears from all the noise at school, refused to throw in the towel.

Surprisingly, Kara had lasted an entire day through school, so Alex took her to the beach with the rest of the kids determined to bully her into putting her headphones back on. And then, there had been a car crash which Kara had responded to like she was made for it. Alex had ran after her desperately and was just in time for the resulting explosion to hit the older teenager and send her flying. Alex wasn't sure, but she had probably blacked out for a few seconds because in the next moment, Kara was blubbering over her at the scene. All Alex could do was throw her arms around Kara, relieved that she was okay. Alex herself was bleeding profusely, though, and that caused Kara to freak out even more.

"I'm fine, mom." Alex protested but was secretly pleased that Eliza was fluffing up her pillow for her.

"Alex, you are not." Eliza clucked her tongue, eyes glancing at the bandaging on Alex's arm. "You have to be more careful! Look what happened!"

Alex rolled her eyes. Of course it was her fault. "Sorry, mom. I didn't expect a car to blow up in my face."

"Just be more careful next time." Eliza sighed, still tucking Alex in until she resembled a burrito. "Things could have gone a lot worse."

"Yes, mom." Alex rolled her eyes again but felt grudgingly happy as Mrs. Danvers leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. "Why don't you take a nap? You've had a long day."

Despite Alex's protests that it wasn't even dark outside yet, the excitement from the day had drained her and by the time Eliza's footsteps faded down the hallways, Alex was fast asleep. The day had exhausted her and while she was in the hospital getting checked up alongside the driver of the destroyed vehicle, she had lied. Lied through her teeth as the police and doctors asked her what she saw. She said she was there at the car crash and the door was already damaged enough that it didn't take much for Kara to pull it open. She lied and said that the woman inside the car must have imagined Kara flinging her out of the car, or the flying leap that she took to escape with the woman's baby.

Alex lied and said that Kara HAD saved the woman and the baby, but the circumstances were not as miraculous as the lady had said it was. The doctors and the police, of course, believed her version of the story. Even the woman Kara had saved was starting to believe that story. Because who would believe that a teenager ripped a door open, threw the mother out of the car and then jumped more than 20 feet away from the car with the baby in her arms?

Alex slept fitfully, but didn't wake up fully, always aware that people were walking in and out of her room. But she woke to a dark room, slightly disoriented. Alex thought she had heard someone talking to her in a language that she didn't recognize.

"What… who's there?" Alex called out. There was a beat of silence, then Kara stepped out of the shadows and into the square of moonlight cast through the window of Alex's room.

"Hi." Kara shifted from foot to foot nervously. "I'm sorry I woke you. I will leave-"

"Kara, stop." Alex sighed. She shifted over a bit and patted her bed. "Come sit with me."

The blonde obeyed wordlessly and perched on the edge of the bed, looking seconds away from fleeing as she clasped her hands together nervously.

"Are you okay?"

"Why are you asking me that?" Kara huffed, suddenly looking very upset. "You were the one that was hurt in this! You could have died-"

"It's just a scratch." Alex shrugged.

Kara shook her head, still very much distressed. "I heard the physician, he said that it would definitely scar-"

"-scars are cool-"

"-And you will have to be careful so the stitches don't rip!" Kara's eyes were wide with fear. "How will you ever survive? The medicine here on Earth is positively primitive!"

"Hey!" Alex chuckled and sat up a bit. "It's not that bad. And we work with what we got."

"I just keep messing things up, like Ron Stoppable." Kara looked like she was going to cry again. "I just wanted to be better, I did not want to stand out with the noise-dampening over-ear cups. I tried to be more normal. I wanted to do it for you."

"For me?" Alex was confused. "Why?"

"I realize you are embarrassed by me." Kara explained. "I heard people talking, saying that you have to take care of me. Because I'm special. And… special has a different meaning sometimes and I am not the good kind of special."

"Hey, hey, hey." Alex grabbed Kara by the shoulders, forcing Kara to look her in the eye. "You are absolutely the definition of the good kind of special. Don't listen to other people."

"They say I'm a freak."

"Freak...ing awesome. That's what they mean." Alex's tone of voice brook no argument and made Kara giggle. Alex reached up and touched the new frames perched on Kara's nose. "And what are these?"

"Oh! Jeremiah Danvers made these for me. They are lined with lead and will at least help me control my x-ray vision, which is the most jarring of these new super-powers." Kara touched them self-consciously. "Do I… do I look 'okay'?"

"You look great, Kara." Alex pulled Kara into a hug impulsively. "I'm sorry, too."

"For what, Alex?"

"For… everything. Everything that's happened to you. For sometimes being impatient with you. And for yelling at you before and for being really snappy." Alex could feel Kara's hands slowly reach up and press against her back tentatively. Her first attempt at a hug.

"Well, I have heard that females do get a bit snappy when they are menstruating." Kara patted Alex's back awkwardly. "It's okay."

Alex stiffened in the loose embrace, then pushed Kara back, horrified. "Are you… can you smell me?!"

Kara took a deep breath and smiled at Alex beatifically. "Yes. You smell like the birthing pods back on Krypton."


	5. Chapter 5

"Gentle, Kara. Gentle." Alex cooed. Kara tried to retreat from Alex, but the older girl reached out and held her in place. "No, you got this. Try."

Kara looked at the older girl hesitantly, then circled her arms around Alex once again. She tightened her grip around Alex, increasing pressure until Alex tapped her shoulder once. Alex had let Kara come back into her room in the middle of the night after Alex's arm had healed. The two would talk and talk about everything. They had whole worlds to share. Sometimes, they took these quiet times to help Kara realize her own strength.

"There. How much strength are you using? Can you tell?" Alex stroked Kara's hair, hearing the Kryptonian sigh in pleasure. Alex had found out certain things about Kara, and one of those was that she quite liked hugs but had been afraid to ask for one or give one.

"It feels like I'm holding pretty tight, but I know I can hold tighter." Kara buried her nose into Alex's hair and took a deep breath.

"We need to talk about you not sniffing me when I'm on, by the way." Alex huffed, cheeks flushing. They had talked at length about birthing pods and how Kara would get to see them sometime when her father would take her on one of his regular rounds in the fertility halls, the smell of the birthing pods was a subtle scent in the background, until one was at the end of the incubation cycle and it would burst open.

"It reminds me of home." Kara said sadly.

Alex rolled her eyes. "I understand. But… okay. Try to keep it to a minimum. Geez. I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that Superman was a pod-baby."

"I was the first one to see Kal-El, besides the fertility technicians, of course." Kara had said proudly. "He was strong, even then. The technicians were surprised that he was moving so early on and had to put him in the hatching baskets early."

"Hatching basket?"

"I am," Kara tilted her head to one side. "Translating everything almost directly from Kryptonian to English. It's not exactly what it is but it is as close as I can explain. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Alex pushed away and smiled at Kara encouragingly. "That hug wasn't so bad, right? You just have to be more aware."

"I'm just nervous. I don't want to hurt anyone." Kara fiddled with her hands awkwardly. "It's also quite a 'big deal' to be embracing."

Alex was having that feeling she gets when Kara is about to tell her something strange.

"How big of a deal?"

"Well," Kara bit her lip. "It is not socially acceptable for people who are not family to embrace me."

"Oh my god." Alex felt her stomach drop. "Is this like, sexual harassment?"

"Kal-El explained to me." Kara's cheeks were red. "When we first met and he hugged me, I punched him into the air. I… panicked."

"You punched Superman?" Alex looked aghast.

"I didn't know who he was!" Kara said indignantly. "He had pulled off my ship's shield and after I announced who I was, he hugged me. What was I supposed to do? He did not even announce himself like a respectable member of a proud house!"

"So it's like sexual harassment."

"For a primitive race, Kal-El said it was the way humans conveyed emotions." Kara danced around the subject.

"Kara. Is it sexual harassment or not?"

"It's more… unwanted touching." Kara cringed. "But it's fine now. The Danvers are my foster parents and may take such liberties. I have grown accustomed to it. But I have told Kal-El that he should not touch me unless he announces himself."

"Why?" Alex looked down as Kara took her hand in her own, rubbing and massaging Alex's hand gently.

"I do not want to be bound to him if he already has a beloved. I think it is a soul-bond."

"What."

The deluge of information was a bit alarming. Were they all manhandling Kara and was she just… accepting something uncomfortable?  
"Did your parents ever hug you?" Alex asked tentatively.

"Of course." Kara nodded, her face changing to that soft, damaged mien that Alex hated seeing. "Of course. They are my parents and held me and embraced me."

"Okay. So mom and dad… Jeremiah and Eliza are okay?" Alex asked carefully.

"Of course." Kara smiled. "I was only most uncomfortable with Kal-El since he had not announced himself. But I will get used to it since this seems to be a way of greeting for humans."

Alex nodded distractedly, filing away that bit of information. "And what do you mean, 'bound to him'? Like… marriage?"

"Yes." Kara nodded. "This is the Earth meaning."

"Like, husband and wife?"

"Affirmative."

"Woah. So is," Alex cleared her throat, trying to compose herself. She was the daughter of scientists! She could ask the hard questions! "Was incest legal in Krypton?"

"Oh, no." Kara looked horrified. "There was no sexual interaction whatsoever."

"But if you could marry your cousin-"

"That is just to bind houses together!" Kara's cheeks were flaming. "Sexual relations were not necessary and we're not primitives. If we were to have a child, we would most likely adopt one into our combined house and we would apply for a child."

"How does that even work?"

"It's a lottery system. The House of El would of course have the pick from the strongest pool for us."

"So… what about love?"

"What does love have to do with the combination of our houses?" Kara was truly puzzled.

"Well, what if you fall in love?"

"Well, if we desire the companionship of another, that is permissible." Kara shrugged. "I forgot that Earth's society primarily values 'monogamy'. You may think of the Kryptonians as polyamorous in nature, but not sexually."

"So you would have-"

"I would have companions. I… had friends who had broached the subject but I had not yet given them my answer. Relationships are made for political reasons sometimes so any proposals to be closely tied to my house as a companion, would have to go to my mother and father."

"So 'companion' would be an official designation?"

"Yes. It is a way to make bonds between great houses, if marriage was not on the table. The lesser houses may want to cleave themselves to a greater house just to have that association."

"But marriage would be-"

"Bringing of two houses together. Marriage is the coming together of great houses. Companions are closely associated with you, personally and in some way, your house. But your house and theirs owes each other no favours. Though some houses are made from what humans would think of as romantic bonds, unless it is a soul-bond, we normally cleave to the arrangements made by our houses for marriage. Soul-bonds are deep and lasting and blessed by Rao." Kara smiled. "My parents were not soul-bound, but my father had a very important relationship with one of the fertility technicians. My mother, also, had several companions and they enjoyed each other's company immensely."

Alex's face was completely red at the thought of these kinds of relationships while Kara kept looking at Alex expectantly, waiting for the next question. She frowned when she noticed that Alex was still completely mute.

"Again, the act of sex is not something we practice. Those soul-bound may perhaps engage in physical affection in private, I am unsure as I do not know of anyone who is soul-bound but that is what I have heard. It's very primitive, really. Those soul-bound do not have much of a choice in the matter."

"Wow." Alex blinked. "So, no sex at all?"

"Alex," Kara chuckled. "Why is this so important?"

"Kara, Earth isn't Krypton." Alex said carefully. Even though Kara tried to hide it, Alex could see that the young Kryptonian winced at the reminder of Krypton's destruction. "Humans… well, sex is a huge thing. We'll have an entire subject in PE class about our bodies and their functions and diseases-"

"What?" Kara cringed. "Diseases?"

"Like-like sexually transmitted ones." Alex stumbled over her words, suddenly realizing in horror that she was having a talk about the birds and the bees with Kara.

"Alex, that is ew. That is very ew." Kara wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"It's just a biological need!" Alex was flustered. "Don't ew it! Guys are going to want it from you!"

Kara shuddered. "No. I refuse. I don't even know why men would want it. I heard that traditional birthing is terribly painful for the men."

Alex frowned. She was… missing something here.

"Kara." Alex said carefully. "What do you mean?"

"When the men incubate the eggs." Kara said patiently. "Apparently it's a pleasurable experience, back before Rao turned red. When Kryptonians still engaged in intercourse to produce children. However, it was a bit of an ordeal when the birthing took place. It was all very primitive."

"Kara." Alex could feel a scientist's excitement. "Are you telling me that the men carried the babies? Like… like seahorses?"

"There are horses in the sea?!" Kara's face went slack in wonder, then a huge grin took over. "I want to see!"

"They're not like real horses-Kara, just answer my question."

"Well, I don't know about these seahorses, but yes, the men carried the eggs." Kara rubbed her hand over her belly, held it out maybe a foot away. "They would be like, this big. Whenever there was a 'marriage', the men would wear clothing that ballooned their stomach to show traditionally, that they were a fertile and proud house. The women would dance with them to show acceptance and the pairing would be recorded."

"Okay. Hold on." Alex got out of bed and dashed to her parent's room, flinging open the door. She jumped into their bed, waking up the Danvers.

"Dad, dad, dad, dad!" Alex shook him excitedly.

"Alex," Jeremiah groaned and looked over at the clock on his nightstand. "It's 4 o'clock on a Sunday."

"But DAD." Alex shook him impatiently. "Back on Krypton, the MEN traditionally gave birth."

There was a beat of silence before Eliza broke out into sleepy laughter.

"What." Jeremiah sounded both intrigued, yet horrified at the same time.

"The men would be like SEAHORSES back on Krypton. But they didn't have SEX." Alex whispered, almost like it was a secret. "Superman was a pod-baby!"

"Oh my god," Eliza snuggled into her husband. "That's why Clark never came to us about puberty! Remember he would just blush if we brought it up and said that 'his kind didn't need sex'. He was so adorable. And the Kents told us he would hide in his space pod for a while after his grade started sex education."

"That poor kid." Jeremiah snorted. Alex, having delivered her news, had shot back out of their room back to hers, leaving the older Danvers alone.

"So…" Eliza smiled slyly at her husband. "If men traditionally carried the babies… would the Kryptonian women be impregnating the men?"

"Eliza, no." Jeremiah tried to look firm in the face of his wife's salacious smile. "DO NOT make this a new kink. We do not need to experiment with that."


	6. Chapter 6

Since she was a bit of a hero at school, there were always people patting her back for no reason, as if just to say, hey, you did well. Kara had to keep remembering what Kal-El told her about humans, especially Americans, being super handsy. She had to resist, and Kal-El had stressed this, resist fighting back and punching them into the air. Kal-El could take it, he had said, but her strength would obliterate a human's insides.

It was difficult for Kara to fit in and she felt… adrift when Kal-El had left her with the Danvers. Shouldn't she be with him? Her not-so-little cousin? She could watch him and make sure he was okay… but he didn't need her to do that. And he had explained that he had become a Champion of the Earth, a protector, who had many enemies who would hurt him and his if possible. The best way for her to keep him safe was to learn to blend into the surroundings, be 'normal'. So he didn't have to worry about her.

This was why Kara was in mathematics class and learning to do calculations long-form. It was equally easy and hard. She could easily give the answer immediately, but in human mathematics class, she was treated with suspicion if she only gave the answer. That meant she had to break it down into human long-form. But it was still quite easy, easy enough that after finishing, Kara's classmates were still struggling along and she had half-an-hour left on the clock. How humans learned was inefficient, Kara surmised. But until their technology advanced to the level of the Kryptonians, this was the only way to absorb information, she supposed.

The young Kryptonian fidgeted in her seat, before lowering her glasses a little to look out into the direction of where she knew Alex would be in the school. Kara could see the older girl as if she was right in front of her, her x-ray vision making Alex's form shift and her hair shimmer from brown to a dark red. Kara had noticed this recently and been entranced with how Alex's hair was changing colours. She had asked Eliza about this and Dr. Danvers had told her that some children's hair darkened or lightened as they aged, but would not change colour drastically until they were much older. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the steady beating of Alex's heart as the other girl read an excerpt from a book authored by a 'Shakespeare' in her class.

"Kara." Kara pushed her glasses back up her face and looked up at her teacher.

"Yes, Ms. Gunasingham." Kara acknowledged dutifully.

"Are you okay?"

"I am 'okay'." Kara beamed a smile up at Ms. Gunasingham. This teacher had been the most understanding of her differences and kept her voice calm and soothing.

"Are you finished?"

"Yes, I am." Kara nodded, her paper at the edge of her desk.

"Kara, you should flip your paper over when you're finished." Ms. Gunasingham explained.

"Oh, I did. But Chad asked me for help." Kara said cheerfully. Chad swore under his breath as Ms. Gunasingham turned to the young man with a frown on her face.

"Thanks a lot, Kara." Chad muttered as Ms. Gunasingham rounded over to his desk and picked up his paper.

"You're welcome!" Kara replied brightly.

"Mr. Dawson. Instead of blaming other people, why don't we reflect on who's really doing something wrong here?" Ms. Gunasingham took his test from him and pointed to the door. "Office, Mr. Dawson. I'll call ahead so the secretary knows to expect you."

Kara frowned, hearing the whispers of the other students. She had done something wrong again. What did she-

"I can't believe she told on him-"

"-good for her, he's always-"

"-taking advantage of the special kid-"

"Class!" Ms. Gunasingham reigned them in. "You have 25 minutes left on this test. Please keep your eyes on your own paper. Kara, come with me."

Kara stood up, wringing her hands anxiously. She had done something weird again. She wished Alex was here to explain to her. Approaching the front of the class, Kara sat down on the stool beside the teacher's desk. The teacher leaned closer, still smiling kindly.

"Kara, it is always good to help other people." Ms. Gunasingham started out, speaking very quietly. "I want you to know that and I want you to know that you're not in trouble, okay?"

Kara nodded nervously. "Okay."

"But this was a test, and tests must be completed alone, without any help from your other classmates. This is how we see how well you've learned the material." Ms. Gunasingham explained.

"Rote memorization and regurgitation is not the best way to learn new subjects." Kara replied, just as quietly. Ms. Gunasingham chuckled, used to Kara being, well, Kara.

"I know you can do the calculations in your head, Kara. It is a bit of memorization, yes, but I need to know that the class remembers enough that they can apply the formulas correctly to the problems. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do." Kara nodded. It made sense. It was a good way to see if the students knew how to use the formulas. "I apologize. When he asked for help, I wanted to help."

"You're a good girl, Kara. But the best way to help someone in a test is to make sure they study beforehand and maybe explain the homework to them. It is not helpful at all to give the answers or do the actual work for someone. Do you understand?"

Kara nodded. It definitely made sense now and she was ashamed to have not come to that conclusion.

"I apologize. I had only wanted to help."

"It's okay, Kara, we're all learning. You just learn a bit differently, right? Which is not bad at all." Ms. Gunasingham smiled. "Do you want to read while everyone else finishes their test?"

"That would be nice."

"Alright, you go on ahead, then."

Kara went back to her desk and pulled out a book from her bag. She had already finished it, but it was easier to zone out and listen to Alex's heartbeat secretly with a book in front of her, than to just sit there looking into space. She was so focused that when the bell rang, she didn't hear it until one of her classmates tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, it's time to go." Sharon was the only other Chinese person in the school besides Brendan. Her family owned the only Chinese restaurant in town. The two Chinese students were not related, as Kara had found out and also very quickly found out from Alex that it was impolite to ask if they were.

"Okay Sharon P-"

"It's just Sharon, Kara." Sharon rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Come on, our next class is science."

Kara had learned from Sharon that Alex had asked her to keep an eye out for Kara but the blonde hoped that Sharon wasn't just talking to her because Alex had told her to. She did like Sharon. Her classmate who shared three classes with her was nice, smart, and smelled of delicious food. She was part of the science club with Alex, and Kara had learned Sharon was usually Alex's partner in science club activities.

"Next time, just ignore Chad." Sharon and her walked through the crush of students to their next class. "He's just gonna make you do all his work for him if you help him."

"Yes, our teacher told me I should let the individual students do their own tests and homework." Kara nodded. "I will do better next time."

"It's not your fault." Sharon bumped her shoulder gently. "He's just an ass who'll take advantage of people when he can."

"Thank you, Sharon P-Sharon." Kara amended cautiously. She had to force herself to just address Sharon by her first name, rationalizing that since they were technically the same age (minus Phantom Zone years), it wouldn't be seen as incredibly rude. Even though she wasn't on Krypton anymore, good Kryptonian manners were hard to break. At least she was expected to address teachers by their family names… if one ever asked her to call them by their first names, she would just not know how to deal with this break in decorum.

"Hey," Sharon shrugged. "What are friends for?"

At the mention of friends, Kara's face split into a wondrous smile.

"Really? Friends?"

"Yeah." Sharon grinned at Kara, almost shyly. "What? Did you think I was just hanging out with you cuz Alex asked me to?"

"Well, I am the 'special kid' so-"

"There's nothing wrong with you." Sharon said firmly. "You're just a bit… socially awkward. We can fix that. Calling me just 'Sharon' is a good place to start."

Kara nodded. "You are a good friend, Sharon."

"Hey, don't set me up for failure." Sharon joked. "Come on, science is on the first floor and we gotta hustle-"

"Oh, I forgot my textbook in my locker!" Kara suddenly stopped. "You can go ahead, I will catch up."

"Alright, I'll save you a seat!" Sharon split ways with Kara, the blonde taking a second to look after her new friend, before hurrying up the stairs. Her locker was at a corner of the school, far away from most of the classrooms. The hallway was relatively deserted as she retrieved her textbook-really, she didn't even need it-when she felt a presence over her shoulder.

"Hey, freak!" That was the only warning she got before she went sprawling across the floor. Her glasses went flying from her face and her focus exploded as she looked through three walls and saw through a thousand layers and the sounds pounded in-

Kara quivered on the linoleum, hands immediately going to her ears, unable to stop her senses from going haywire. She was aware of someone shouting something at her, the voice ugly and cruel, flinched as something came crashing down on her head and body again and again. It didn't hurt, but it was too much, there was too much she just couldn't-

"Hey! Get away from her!" The voice obliterated the white noise so efficiently that Kara was able to concentrate and grope forward until her hands found her glasses. When she put them on, she could see Alex, fists flailing, and Chad retreating at the surprisingly ferocious attack.

"Alex!"

"Kara-" The distraction was all Chad needed to wind up and clock Alex good across the side of the face. Alex went down hard, but she recovered quickly enough to kick out at Chad's legs as he advanced on her. As they struggled on the floor, Kara pushed herself up so her back was against a locker and clapped her hands over her ears. She had never really witnessed anything violent at home, the closest she'd been was witnessing the traditional arms-dance that Kryptonians entering the enforcement arm of the judiciary performed during the swearing-in ceremony.

Though Chad had a bigger mass, Alex was a lot more agile and had maneuvered so she was sitting on Chad's back with his arm in a lock. He tried to buck her off but she applied pressure until he squealed and stilled.

"You stay the hell away from my sister." Alex hissed. "If you so much as LOOK at her wrong, I will find you and HURT you. Do you understand?"

Footsteps were coming towards them and Kara was relieved to see a teacher rounding the corner, a gaggle of curious students following him.

"I said DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Alex snarled, twisting his hand in a way that it most assuredly was not supposed to go.

"YES! OKAY! I'm sorry, just-"

Alex was hauled off Chad unceremoniously and the boy was also picked up by the back of his shirt. Kara could see that Chad's nose was leaking blood and the area around his eye was swollen and starting to colour.

"Alex!" Kara screeched, sheer terror ripping through her at the red that covered the brunette's chin. Kara scrambled towards her, feeling a gut-wrenching sense of horror at the injury. The smell of something… iron, filled her nostrils, sharp and rich.

"What is the meaning of this?" Mr. MacNeill, a bearded, stocky teacher boomed. Kara vaguely remembered he taught geography in the grade above hers.

"He was beating up on my little sister and I just made sure he was picking on someone his own size." Alex lifted up her chin defiantly. Even though she was bloody and dishevelled, Kara likened Alex to maybe one of the Greek Gods that she had been reading about.

"Ms. Danvers," Mr. MacNeill turned to Kara, frowning. "Are you okay?"

"He c-caught me by surprise." Kara stuttered, trying to push her glasses up her nose, frowning as it kept slipping down, then realized that one of temples of her glasses was barely hanging on by the hinges.

Mr. MacNeill turned his gaze towards Chad, who studiously looked at the ground and avoided the teacher's eyes, which was just as good as an admission of guilt. Mr. MacNeill let Alex go grudgingly, but ordered the sisters to follow him and for curious students to go back to class. Then he pushed Chad forward and frog-marched him in the direction of the principal's office. The girls followed a good length behind so they could talk quietly.

"Are you okay?" Alex slurred through the blood that sputtered out. She tongued the side of her cheek and grimaced. "Ugh. Apparently better than me."

"Are you hurt? Do you require a physician?" Kara's hands fluttered to and fro, landing on Alex sometimes but flitting away again, afraid that she would do more damage than good.

"It's just my lip. And I probably cut the inside of my cheek." Alex reassured. She grabbed Kara's hand and placed it on her cheek, encouraging Kara to inspect for herself. The blonde tentatively cradled Alex's face, fearful of doing more damage, but wanting to make sure Alex was actually okay. It was awkward as they continued walking behind the teacher, but Alex allowed it to assuage Kara's anxiety.

"You okay?" Alex's hand on Kara's head was affectionate, her gaze, worried.

Kara nodded. "Why do you ask me this? I'm not hurt."

"I'm worried about you-" The blonde continued touching Alex's face in an almost nervous staccato rhythm, her fingers dancing across Alex's chin, swiping at the blood there ineffectively. Alex shied away. "-stop it. I'm fine, Kara."

"You're bleeding." The worry was starting to fade away from Kara and the feeling that was replacing it was less charitable. She glared at Chad walking in front of them, the simmering anger that was filling her igniting into white-hot rage as he protested that he didn't do anything wrong. Kara, for the first time in her life, felt like hurting someone deliberately. She had taken one sure step ahead of Alex, suddenly eager to get her hands on the miscreant in front of them when she felt Alex pull her back by the arm.

"Kara, look at me." Alex's hand was on her face, gently tilting the blonde's face so Kara had to look Alex in the eyes. "Kara, it's okay. I'm fine. Don't stoop to his level."

"But he-"

"What he did was wrong, but you cannot punch him through a wall. He's just a stupid kid. He also won't survive a fight with you. And this is a good learning experience because you definitely must not ever, ever fight back. You must always protect yourself and escape." Alex whispered lowly.

"But he hurt you." Kara gritted out.

Alex sighed and pursed her lips, pausing a bit to think of a way to even out Kara's murderous mood. "What would Kim Possible do?"

Kara jutted her bottom lip out, the mention of her favourite basic, average, girl-superhero dispelling her anger. That wasn't fair at all!

"He's going to get punished, definitely. But I'm fine and you're fine." Alex suddenly slung an arm around Kara's shoulders and pulled her close in a one-armed hug. "I know you're as strong as Superman, but I don't need you to protect me. I'm here to protect you, okay? So let me take care of you, Kara."

Kara nodded, leaning into the heat of Alex's body, feeling warm all over and full of a feeling of wonder. She looked up at Alex again, who smirked at her with bloody teeth. Kara leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Alex's chin, not caring about the blood that was staining her forehead now. This world was strange and new, but Alex would take care of her. She knew that Kal-El cared about her, Jeremiah and Eliza cared about her, but for Alex to say it and demonstrate it so violently... for some reason, it made her blood sing. It was barbaric, definitely, almost straight out of those novels Eliza Danvers keeps hidden around the house… Kara wondered if she should swoon like some of the female characters in the books but decided against it. Alex didn't seem like she would appreciate swooning.

"Okay, Alex." Kara nodded. Something suddenly occurred to her and she beamed up at Alex. "You called me your sister."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "I did, didn't I?"


	7. Chapter 7

" _She just went and punched him in the face! It was amazing!_ " Kara gushed. " _She stood up for me!_ "

" _That is excellent, Lady Kara._ " Her ship hummed pleasantly in Kryptonian. " _Your parents would be most pleased that you have found such a stalwart protector._ "

" _I don't think she liked me much at the very beginning, though._ " Kara gestured with her hands, uselessly. It was a very human thing to do and she was both annoyed at the superfluous movement and relieved that she was at least 'doing as the natives do'.

" _What brought you to that conclusion?_ " The ship asked her.

" _She didn't talk to me much… she just didn't seem to like me. And I heard her arguing with her parents once…_ " Kara explained. " _I'm just glad she likes me now, she's just really amazing-_ "

" _She's here._ " The ship informed, causing Kara to pause and listen carefully. Outside, she could hear the grass crunching as someone approached.

"Kara?" The whispered question had Kara opening the pod's top and scrambling out to meet Alex. The brunette's lip still looked swollen and the cut on Alex's lips was hard for Kara to look at. It looked like it hurt and the wound in turn made Kara's chest hurt seeing that Alex was injured.

"Hi!" Kara let the happiness of seeing the older girl overwhelm that uncomfortable feeling in her chest. She grinned at Alex, hold out her hands. Alex took Kara's fingers in her own, raising an eyebrow at the blonde.

"What are you doing out here? I heard you get up but when you didn't come to my room…"

"Oh. I needed to talk to the AI that accompanied me here to Earth.." Kara tugged Alex gently along, to the shed where her ship was hidden. "Come, meet Viox."

"Viox…?" Alex blinked at the soft glow of the spacepod that brought Kara to Earth.

"Alexandra Danvers, it is nice to meet you." Viox glowed softly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too." Alex's good manners kicked in. "Um. How are you?"

"Very pleased, presently, to have met your acquaintance." Viox seemed quite impressed with Alex's manners.

"Come, Alex!" Kara scrambled up into the ship and Alex hesitated briefly, before grinning and scrambling up to seat herself behind Kara, marvelling at the almost… fluid way the spacepod rippled, the seat lengthening so Alex could seat comfortably behind Kara. It was completely natural for Kara to lean against Alex, pressing her back against Alex's front and for Alex to encircle her arms around Kara's mid-rift. This kind of closeness was still new, but it was no longer awkward for Alex to touch Kara or for Kara to reach out for Alex. Not after the fight from the day and the hesitant, probing touches Alex had allowed from Kara.

"What is this-" The opening on the top of the spacepod seemed to… kind of GROW over and close up organically, like a living thing.

"Viox is an exceptional AI who was chosen to accompany me in my travel to Earth. He has kept me alive during my stay in the Phantom Zone-"

"Which was quite easy as long as she stayed asleep. My systems would have sustained her for hundreds of years. Leaving the Phantom Zone was the hard part." Viox said matter-of-factly.

"This is amazing!" Alex breathed, looking this way and that at the smooth white insides of Kara's spacepod that was now rippling at her comment.

"I am exceptional." The pod hummed proudly.

"But I thought you said Superman-Kal-El damaged you." Alex addressed Viox directly which made the AI's core programming trip over itself in an approximation of pleasure but also made his code crackle in discontent at the subject.

"Kal-El has spent too much time as Earth's champion and has turned into a brute." Viox sounded slightly miffed.

"Viox was quite upset that he had to spend time to repair himself." Kara patted the armrests of the seat soothingly. "It was quite traumatic for Viox."

"Nobody has ever treated me like that before." Viox didn't seem to be a Superman fan. If he had announced himself and allowed me to confirm his identity, I would have allowed him access. But no, Jor-El's son just ripped off my top-"

" _Viox, Kal-El has already apologized._ " Kara sighed. This was a conversation they had had many times and Viox was, Kara learned, one who could hold a grudge for a long time.

"Kara…?"

"Oh!" Kara looked backwards at Alex. "Sorry! I was speaking in Kryptonian. I was just telling Viox he had to forgive Kal-El."

" _I will do no such thing._ " Viox declared, affronted. The display in front rippled angrily. " _He has yet to TRULY apologize to me and all he said was '_ no harm no foul _'. What does that even mean? Kal-El is extremely rude and I have every right to be-_ "

"I take it Viox is angry?" Alex looked around nervously as the ship's form rippled in sharp, geometric angles, the sides darkening to a muted hue.

" _Oh, Viox! Could you give her knowledge of Kryptonian?_ " Kara suddenly clapped her hands excitedly, her heart leaping at the thought of someone being able to speak fluently. Of Alex being able to speak to her fluently. Kal-El never spoke Kryptonian as his Fortress of Solitude used the language of his adopted home, English. Kal-El had no need of Kryptonian, so he never wanted to learn or asked to be given his birth language.

" _Unfortunately, Lady Kara, I cannot._ " Viox apologized. " _A Kryptonian brain is drastically different from a human. I do not have the capacity to map Alexandra's brain as I am a specialized spacecraft AI, my core programming focusing on the survival of my Kryptonian charge. Which means I do not have the language maps for other species._ "

"Oh." The disappointment in Kara's voice was palpable. "Oh."

" _I am sorry, Lady Kara-_ "

"It's fine, I just-It's fine." Kara smiled a bit, startled when Alex's arms tightened around her stomach and pressed her back into Alex.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Alex leaned her cheek against Kara's head.

"It's nothing." Kara felt it like a physical blow and drew in a shuddering breath. Her tears didn't come as often, but they came now as she gulped in air, trying to control it, curling until she had her head tucked under Alex's chin and the older girl was rubbing a hand up and down her back soothingly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alex asked quietly.

"No." Kara shook her head. She had to get over this. Kara understood she was extremely lucky, extremely fortunate. She should be so grateful but sometimes the little things add up and the complete obliteration of her language stung so sharply, it felt like a physical wound. Kara cried quietly until she felt exhausted, the only thing Earth's yellow sun couldn't heal her of was heartbreak. So she closed her eyes, concentrating on the hand stroking up and down her back, her ear against Alex's chest and the steady beat of Alex's heart. Before long, that gentle bass had lulled her into sleep, her tears finally subsiding and her breath evening out.

"She is 'asleep'." Viox's hum was low and gentle.

"Yeah." Alex's hand stilled, then moved to protectively cradle Kara's head.

"She has been adjusting well?" Viox asked tentatively. "She has been reporting to me daily, but Lady Kara does not want me to worry about her so I believe she does not tell me everything."

"She reports to you?" Alex's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Lady Kara is the last daughter of Krypton." Viox explained. "Therefore, she has the duty of compiling the history of the Kryptonian people. The history, now, must be compiled by the last Kryptonians."

"Does Superman-"

"Kalex, the AI residing at his 'Fortress of Solitude' does this for Jor-El's son." Viox interrupted brusquely at the mention of his not-so-favourite person. "Kal-El was a child when he came to Earth, he knew nothing of duty."

"So it's all on Kara."

"My Lady does very well." Viox said fondly.

"It's hard for her." Alex said sadly, running her fingers through Kara's blonde hair. "What did you two talk about? She was telling you something and sounded excited, but then she got really sad after. I heard my name mentioned."

"She wanted me to give you the Kryptonian language."

"Oh." Alex was going to shrug but stopped herself in case she woke Kara. "Sure. I'm game."

"It is not a game."

Alex tried not to smile at the way Viox and Kara both sometimes did not understand idioms.

"I'm not saying it's a game. 'I'm game' is like saying, I'm up for it."

"Up for… your human sayings make no sense." Viox sounded distinctly grumpy.

"Just do it. Do the mind thing and give me Kryptonian. Kara said it was sorta like programming or something." Alex said patiently.

"It's more like laying an imprint of the language on your main processor-your brain-but I do not have the map that would fit a human brain and I do not have the capacity to give it to you. All my functions are for Lady Kara." Viox explained, once again. "She was quite unhappy about that."

Alex glanced down at the sleeping teenager. "She's the last one, isn't she?"

"If you are referring to being the last Kryptonian woman of her family, yes. She is the last daughter of Krypton and of her proud lineage. Krypton's history will end with her or her cousin."

"That's sad."

"In a certain sense, yes. But sadder still, if Lady Kara had perished with Krypton." Viox, though he had no face and no eyes, seemed to be examining Alex and the young girl tried not to fidget lest she wake Kara. "And I would like to take this opportunity to thank you. I do believe that you make the biggest difference in her life on Earth, Alexandra Danvers."

"Just call me Alex." Alex corrected, blushing at the AI's words. " And how? How am I making a difference?"

"You have taken on the role of protector for Lady Kara. I am pleased that humans still recognize that my Lady does require this attention. And a person of her status should have a companion already." Viox's voice was musing. "Even if you do not understand the concept, you would indeed be a most suitable companion for my Lady. It is actually quite common for personal guards to develop this relationship with their charge, actually. Quite a few classical Kryptonian narratives revolve around epic relationships between a member of a Great House and their bodyguard/companion."

Alex's eyes narrowed. She didn't know where to start in correcting Viox's misconceptions so… she just didn't. "Companion as in the Kryptonian sense?"

"Yes. I see my Lady has spoken to you about Kryptonian society?"

"Yeah," Alex frowned again. "I feel like I'm missing something here."

"Companions were linked to the Great Houses of Krypton. As a companion, you have chosen to serve the Lady and do your best by her while her considerable influence will be of great benefit to you. She will seek you out for comfort and solace, protection and advice. She will lean on you and you are also encouraged to lean on her. After the proper time has passed and we contact her only living relation to consider this companionship, we shall hold the ceremony to officially commemorate this union."

Alex had quietly listened to everything, frowning throughout the whole explanation. She got it but she it was more that she disagreed with what Kryptonians would consider 'companionship' and marriage. "This really sounds like a marriage."

"Oh no, this is far from a marriage. Marriages are contracts to join two families together. The companion is something entirely for the individual. It may benefit the House of the individual to be linked via companionship to a Great House, but it is not a guarantee. Marriage is a duty to all under your House and would trump all. Companionship is-"

"Choice."

"Yes. Kara did say you were particularly smart." Viox sounded pleased again.

"I'm still a bit uncomfortable with this. Can we give me some time to think about it? And maybe not broach this topic with Superman." Alex used 'think about' instead of 'no way in hell' in case the AI went all Skynet on her.

"Superman." The disgust dripped off Viox's syllables. "Yes. We can do that. We do not even have to include him in the decision-making process as Lady Kara is technically of age if we include her years in the Phantom Zone."

"Great." Alex was relieved to have slipped out of Viox's plannings. It really actually sounded like a wedding was going to be performed. "But hey, the language thing… I know you can't just zap it into my brain-"

"I would never zap anything into your brain!" Viox sounded horrified. "That would be fatal!"

"No. No, it's another human saying." Alex chuckled lowly and they both fell silent when Kara shifted a bit in her sleep. When the blonde settled down, Alex continued speaking. "I'm saying I know you can't map it into my brain or whatever, but could you teach me?"

"I definitely could." The inside of the pod glowed a warm colour. "It would make Lady Kara very happy to know she can converse with someone besides me in her native language."

"Let's keep it a secret for now until I get good."

"Should we not tell her now? She would be happy now."

"But when we tell her later, when I can actually hold a conversation in Kryptonian, wouldn't that be even better?"

Viox seemed to consider this for a second. "Your reasoning is sound. We will need a ruse. I propose that we tell Lady Kara that I am seeking your assistance to clarify some intricate human idiosyncrasies-which we will do while I teach you as I do not like to lie to Lady Kara-and she will leave us to our own devices. I will also soundproof my exterior."

"What if she wants to join us?" Alex looked down at the snoozing Kara.

"Then you will just have to tell her we are speaking about a topic she dislikes. Ah. Sexual intercourse." Viox sounded amused. "She seems to dislike that topic at the moment and referred to 'human diseases' when I asked for further information."

"Oh god, Kara." Alex rolled her eyes.

"She will be very surprised that the yellow sun of Earth will most likely affect her differently than the red glow of Rao." Viox was still sounding quite amused at the whole situation.

"What do you mean?"

"Kryptonians do not have much of a sex drive. It could be because Rao and Krypton were both dying and that affected their physiology. Kryptonians did engage in relations in the traditional sense a very, very long time ago on Krypton. Modern Krypton has not had reports of sexual intercourse since the birthing pods were put in place. But Kryptonians who traveled outside of Rao's system were reported to have those urges. As sexual intercourse was not a topic of interest in Kryptonian society, only the fringe colonies of Krypton had researched on why sexual desire made itself known outside of Krypton's home galaxy. Unfortunately, all I have are conjectures as the research was not complete."

Alex snorted, just imagining how that information would be taken by Kara. The memory of the comical way Kara's face had twisted in horror when Alex mentioned even the word 'sex' was just too funny. Alex couldn't help laughing a bit more and her chortling woke Kara up.

"Wha-" Kara inhaled, eyes wide, fear chasing sleep away. She pushed away, then relaxed again when she realized it was Alex she was pillowed against. "Alex."

"Go back to sleep."

"How long did I sleep?"

"Not that long." Alex tenderly brushed a strand of hair away from Kara's face.

"Can we stay here a bit, Alex?" Kara leaned her head against Alex's chest, hearing the brunette's heart beating strong and true.

"Of course." Alex said immediately. Kara smiled up at Alex, then carefully snuggled into Alex, rubbing her cheek against the exposed skin of Alex's neck, relishing the warmth of it. It reminded her of the warmth of Rao on her skin.

" _Viox, could you make this like my room back on Krypton?_ " Kara asked.

" _Of course, my Lady._ " The insides of the pod warmed to a red colour, becoming opaque and then clearing so it seemed like… they were looking out into a cityscape, that was futuristic, smooth and heart-breakingly home.

"Krypton." Alex breathed out in wonder, looking all around.

"My view from my room." Kara looked out, eyes tracking a transport whizzing away somewhere far off into the distance, then closed her eyes wearily. At least she had this. And at least she had Alex. As if sensing that Kara was thinking about her, Alex tightened her hold briefly in a quick hug, then closed her eyes to the scene, too, letting sleep take her.


	8. Chapter 8

Viox had been right, as soon as Alex had informed Kara that they were going to talk about anything to do with humans and sex, the blonde had balked and chosen to spend time with Eliza instead, so Alex spent at least two hours a day with Viox, learning basic Kryptonian and talking about Kara with Viox. In their sessions, they also brainstormed ways to help Kara deal with her sensory overload and also to test and track her new abilities and their limits.

" _Speed is rising every time we test. Kara good at running. Time go down every time._ " Alex reported in Kryptonian. Viox expected Alex to speak to him in Kryptonian so she had more practice and Alex, though grasping a very basic vocabulary after a month, still sounded like a pre-schooler.

" _Very good. How are the flight tests?_ "

" _Much more…_ graceful?" Alex scrunched up her nose. " _How do I say that in Kryptonian?_ "

" _Graceful._ " Viox enunciated carefully. Alex repeated the world, then tapped her tablet to write down the word in Kryptonian characters and recorded Viox repeating the word then repeated it herself.

" _Graceful._ "

" _Very good, Alex. You are improving quite quickly._ "

" _Still too slow._ " Alex frowned. " _I feel stupid._ "

" _Learning a second language is always difficult. But you understand most of what I'm saying to you now, it's just communicating what you want that is a problem._ " Viox soothed. " _Now, can you tell me about how she is doing socially in school?_ "

" _Socially?_ "

" _Does she have any friends?_ "

" _She has a good friend named Sharon. She is doing well._ " Alex tripped over some words but Viox listened patiently. " _They eat together at lunch. And they call each other_."

" _Do you eat lunch with her?_ "

" _We have different lunch time._ " Alex explained. " _She does not need me to help much. She is doing much better. Does not freeze anymore. As much._ "

Viox corrected her sentence and they spent an hour or so more conversing until Viox called it a day, seeing that Alex was getting frustrated and tired.

" _Just practice your pronunciations. And remember the sounds we were practicing._ " Viox's top yawned open and Alex climbed out wearily. Learning a new language was hard and her throat hurt from some of the words that she had to pronounce, the sounds she had to make were not natural sounds on the English language. They didn't come naturally to her but it was getting easier with a month of practice.

"Alex!" Kara had been waiting outside the ship, hopping from one foot to the other. She was dressed in a bright sundress with colourful flower prints all over the dress. Eliza was there looking at Viox warily as Alex jumped down.

"Look! I went shopping and I was okay!" Kara twirled in her dress. "And I picked this dress out! It's so pretty!"

Alex grinned as Kara twirled this way and that and held her skirt out so Alex could better see the prints.

"Look! It's so colourful, I love it!" Kara's happy face was suddenly anxious. "Do you like it, Alex?"

Alex grinned and brushed her fingers through Kara's blonde hair, smoothing down the wildness after her twirling around.

"You look very pretty, just like the dress." Alex pronounced to Kara's blushing glee.

"You would like very pretty too if you wore dresses like these." Eliza smirked at Alex. "I don't do colours." Alex folded her arms across her chest and huffed.

"Only black. Ugh, teenagers." Eliza threw up her hands in mock disgust and smiled. "Come on girls, let's get inside and start up dinner. Jeremiah will be home soon."

Kara grabbed Alex's hand in hers and pulled her towards the house; her ability to moderate her strength now was a relief for Eliza. She tried not to let it show on her face or call out when Alex stumbled at Kara's enthusiasm. To be truthful, Eliza was still… cautious with Kara. Her strength and her propensity to shut down if there was too much stimulus had been very difficult to handle at first. Eliza never mentioned it to the girls when Kara was a bit too enthusiastic sometimes and bruised her. The injuries went down when Eliza noticed Alex and Kara's sudden closeness after Alex's fight in school and now, Kara's 'accidents' were far and few in between.

But Eliza still worried.

"Kara, slow down!" Alex chuckled.

"But there's more stuff Eliza bought for me!" Kara gushed. "And Kal-El sent me a cellular phone and I want you to help me!"

Eliza watched the girls race into the house, sighing, before turning to study the spacepod again.

"Hello?"

The spacepod remained silent. Eliza and Jeremiah had both attempted to communicate with the Kryptonian spacecraft, but it had remained silent to all questions, though Alex swears that they have full out conversations.

"Hm." Eliza shut the doors to the shed and locked it up again. She didn't doubt Alex and was slightly disappointed that the spaceship didn't want to talk to her as she trudged back up to the house.

"-shirt has Kim Possible on it!" Kara held out the shirt in question, filled with glee as Alex chuckled indulgently. "Do you like it?"

"Well, you like it." Alex laughed at Kara's pout and Eliza had to bite her tongue to stop from crying out when Kara barrelled into Alex, worried that Kara would throw Alex across the room. That didn't happen, thankfully, and Alex laughed even louder at Kara trying to forcibly put the shirt over Alex's head.

"It's you!" Kara grinned. "Wear your shirt! You're real life Kim Possible!"

"No, get off, you goof!" Alex laughed and squealed as Kara and her rolled around on the floor play-fighting.

"Call me, beep me!" Kara was giggling as she managed to get the shirt over Alex's head before Alex flipped them over and sat on her back, to which Kara replied by floating a few inches off the ground.

"Woah!" Alex laughed, windmilling her arms until she fell forward and hugged Kara around her neck.

"ALEX!" Eliza finally screeched, her voice making Kara scramble to touch the floor.

"What?" Alex looked suitably confused at why her mother was yelling, legs and arms still wrapped around Kara so the blonde was piggy-backing her.

"Alex, you're supposed to be more mature than that! You KNOW Kara's supposed to keep a low profile but if the two of you keep horsing around-"

"What? We're just playing!" Alex felt indignant as she slid off Kara's back. They were just goofing off!

"Alex, you're supposed to watch out for Kara and… you know better than to indulge her-"

"Excuse me?" Alex snapped back, teenage emotions roiling. "Why are you freaking out about this?"

"You're her big sister now!" The fear Eliza felt quickly changed to anger, an emotion which was far less terrifying than fear. "We have rules about Kara using her powers-"

"I'm sorry-" Kara started to say meekly but Eliza cut her off with a gesture.

"No, Kara it's not your fault." Eliza looked at Alex furiously. "I expected Alex to know better, though."

"What? That's so unfair-"

"Go to your room, Alex! Do not argue with me!" Eliza pointed upstairs. Alex's jaw dropped at the unfairness of the whole situation before stomping away in a rage. Kara, petrified by the sudden one-eighty turn of moods also fled upstairs. When Jeremiah came home, he found his wife banging pots and pans in the kitchen and the girls nowhere in sight.

"Honey?" He greeted cautiously, wincing as she slammed a pot down on the stove. "I'm… home? What's wrong?"

Eliza glared at Jeremiah, then went to get a pad and pencil. They had decided this would be the best way to communicate since they found out the hard way that Kara sometimes listened in randomly.

 _I got angry at Alex for no reason._

"Why?" Jeremiah took over making the salad, chopping the romaine lettuce already on the cutting board.

 _I was scared Kara was going to hurt her. They were floating in the house. Alex and her were roughhousing and I was so afraid that Alex would get hurt. I just snapped at Alex._

Eliza immediately ripped the scrap of paper off the pad and put it into the flame underneath the pot. She never ever wanted Kara to know that her new family was a bit scared of her.

"I'll go talk to her, okay?" Jeremiah leaned in and kissed his wife on the cheek while she burned the last thing she wrote. He finished cutting up the lettuce, wiped his hands on a kitchen towel and started up the stairs. Round the corner, she saw Kara sitting cross-legged with her ear pressed against Alex's door. It wasn't until he was almost on top of her that Kara noticed Jeremiah and jumped in surprise.

"Jeremiah Danvers, you have returned!" Kara scrambled to her feet. She glanced from the man to the door, wringing her hands.

"Alex still in there, kiddo?" Jeremiah asked quietly.

"Affirmative." Kara nodded. When she was stressed out, Kara tended to revert back to the way she spoke when she first arrived on Earth.

"Why don't you go downstairs and help Eliza with dinner? I'll talk to Alex."

Kara looked stricken, not wanting to move from her spot in front of Alex's door. Alex had shut the door in her face and the blonde hadn't wanted to budge from her post. Kara was sure this was somehow her fault.

"Go, Kara. It'll be alright." Jeremiah urged gently. Kara hesitated, but did as she was told. Jeremiah let out a sigh then knocked on the door gently.

"Alex, it's me."

"Go away!"

"Alex. Open up." Jeremiah used the voice between a request and a demand, waiting a few beats before Alex grudgingly opened the door.

"Hey, Alex." Jeremiah slipped inside and closed the door behind him. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Mom's freaking out and I didn't do anything wrong!" Alex was in pure fight mood, shoulders thrown back, fists at her side.

"I know, Alex." Jeremiah said, hands out in a placating gesture as Alex stood there, brittle and angry.

"Why is she always yelling at me? I didn't do anything!" Alex continued ranting, tears of rage spilling down her cheeks. Those tears only made her more furious as she scrubbed at them with the back of her hand.

"Your mom is adjusting, just like you, honey." Jeremiah knelt down on one knee. He used to be able to do this and still tower over Alex, but now, he had to look up into his daughter's eyes. "Sometimes she's going to act crazy."

Alex sobbed and laughed at the same time, then pouted at the moment of mirth Jeremiah had dragged out of her.

"Come on, Alex." Jeremiah reached out to try and catch Alex's hand, but she stepped back firmly. Jeremiah for a second, was irrationally jealous of Kara. His own flesh and blood in front of him wouldn't even let them hug her without it seeming like they were pulling teeth, but nowadays the little Kryptonian didn't even have to reach out to Alex and the older girl was there beside her to hold her hand. Jeremiah tamped down that feeling and smiled at Alex, hoping that he conveyed that he was on her side. He held out his hand, willing Alex to take it and she finally did after a long internal battle.

"You know your mom's sorry." Jeremiah held her hand gently, not wanting to scare her off with any big shows of affection that weren't initiated by Alex.

"She never says sorry." Alex bit out.

"But she is. And you know she'll always try to show it in her own way. Maybe by giving you a bigger helping of ice-cream today or being easier on you for the whole month." Jeremiah said, causing Alex to laugh a bit. They both knew Eliza would never say sorry if she didn't absolutely have to and would rather try to smooth over ruffled feathers with bribes.

As expected, when Alex came downstairs, the little spat from before wasn't mentioned and Eliza heaped pasta on Alex's plate-she had made Alex's favourite sauce-and also gave her a bigger helping of ice-cream for dessert. Kara watched all this unfold, bewildered that they had gone from screaming at each other to ignoring what had previously happened. At night-time, after she had gone through the night-time regime she had been prescribed, Kara waited patiently until the elder Danvers' were settled in bed, then sneaked out of her room to Alex's.

"Alex." Kara scratched at the door. Alex had been waiting for Kara and opened the door, allowing the blonde to slip in.

"Hey, Kara." Alex was still awake and had been reading a book, waiting for Kara.

"What happened today? I don't understand." Kara said bluntly.

Alex sighed and tugged Kara to the bed so they could both sit down, facing each other.

"My mother and I have a complicated relationship." Alex explained. Kara nodded, waiting for further explanation, but no more information was forthcoming as Alex shrugged helplessly.

"Like… my mother and her sister." Kara supplied, trying to understand what had happened by vocalizing it. "They fought a lot, but my father said that they also cared very much for each other. Just that they do not see eye to eye on many issues."

"Yes." Alex sighed, relieved that she didn't have to explain to Kara.

"But it was still unfair. It was my fault." Kara looked at Alex seriously.

"No, Kara." Alex took Kara's hands in her own, rubbing the spot between her thumbs and forefingers soothingly. "It's not your fault. It's just me and my mom."

Kara nodded, still not quite getting it but fine with dropping the subject, especially since talking about it seemed to make Alex sad. Kara could tell, could hear it in her heartbeat and the subtle changes in Alex's chemistry.

"Hey, do you want to fly with me?" Kara was already whirling away towards the window, unlatching it carefully and working the handle until the window was wide open.

"Kara-"

The little girl had already slipped out the window and poked her head back in, a serious look on her face.

"You uh, you don't wanna go for a ride, do you?"

Alex burst out laughing, recognizing the line from a movie they had just finished yesterday. Kara kept her face straight even though her eyes danced with mirth. "We could get out of the palace? See the world?"

Alex shook her head fondly, deciding to play along. "Is it safe?"

"Sure, do you trust me?" Kara shrugged.

"What?" Alex was trying not to laugh at the re-enactment, but it was getting hard.

"Do you trust me?" Kara held out her hand to Alex, smiling winningly.

"Of course." Alex was giggling now too, letting Kara pull her out on the roof of the house.

"On my back?" Kara broke character, turning so Alex could jump on. "We'll go slow."

Alex hesitated a second, biting her lower lip. "But we could get in trouble…"

"It's fine if we just go for a little bit." Kara soothed, she turned to hug Alex, burrowing her nose at the crook of the other girl's neck and taking a deep breath of her scent. Kara noted with pleasure that the smell of sadness was dissipating. "It makes you happy when we fly."

"Because it makes you happy." Alex circled her arms around Kara's neck, barely feeling it as Kara lifted off gently, having practiced enough to be able to control her flight perfectly now.

"How do you know? Can you smell me, too?" Kara pushed away just enough to look at Alex in the face as they corkscrewed upwards lazily in the air.

"No."

"How do you know I'm happy when I fly, then?"

"Because I can just tell-wait a sec." Alex narrowed her eyes at Kara. "Are you smelling me again? Can you smell when I'm happy?"

Kara grinned awkwardly, shifting Alex in her arms so she was carrying the older girl with one arm under her legs and the other on her back. Alex took Kara's glasses from her face and put them on her own, waiting a second as Kara blinked and adjusted her vision without her glasses. With Alex's help, Kara was quickly getting a grip on her various powers, prolonged exposure to Alex definitely helping.

"Hold on tight, Alex!" Kara whispered, then started flying towards the beach at a modest pace. The wind was loud, whistling past their ears, Kara had learned to moderate her speed and pay attention to the precious cargo she carried. The first time they had flown fast, Alex had gotten wind burn on her face and arms and had tears running down her face. Alex had brushed off incident, saying that she was alright, but Kara had been horrified. It was trial and error with them, with Alex's well-being the sacrifice if Kara made a mistake, so Kara learned extremely quickly how to get a handle on her powers.

"Don't think I'll forget about the smelling thing when we get back home." Despite the sound of the waves and the wind of the beach, Alex's whispered words were loud in Kara's ear and made the Kryptonian pout.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry this took so long. Real life happened and the Orlando shooting threw me for a loop. Gonna take the chance here to say that a little something on that: the LGBT community is an international community and we all understand when someone comes into our safe space, a space we made for ourselves, and murders us. We feel it deeply. This could happen to you, me, a friend, anyone. It hurt like I never thought it would. My family flung all over the world, united by our common experiences.

Rest in peace and my heart goes out to those that lost a loved one in this tragedy. Don't let this hold us down, guys. We're strong and fuck the haters I'm going to make sure I make it to Pride this year.

Annnnndddd... On with the story!

* * *

Kara sat on the top step primly, waiting for Eliza while talking to Sharon. She was talking animatedly about this Discovery channel special she had watched.

"-what is down there?" Sharon gushed. "You never know! It's like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea-"

Kara nodded amicably. The blonde had realized that there was a lot that she didn't know, such as common references to books and tv shows. Alex had assured her that it wasn't necessary to study up and it was fine if she had gaps in her knowledge, as not everybody knew the latest "in" quote the kids were randomly shouting at each other.

"You should come by some time." Sharon suddenly blurted out.

Kara looked at Sharon, wondering if she had missed something. "Pardon?"

"I mean, my parents wanna meet you." Sharon shrugged, scratching her nose, shrugging her shoulders in embarrassment. "I talk about you to them a lot."

"Why?" Kara asked warily.

"I dunno." Sharon shrugged, brushing her hair away from her forehead. "You're like, my BFF."

Kara frowned and couldn't help asking. "What is a BFF?"

Sharon just burst out into giggles, pushing Kara on the shoulder. "Oh my god, you're hilarious, Kara."

"Oh." Kara paused, then joined Sharon in the laughter, not knowing why but it seemed appropriate to laugh along with Sharon.

"So? You wanna hang out?"

"Oh! Hang out! I shall ask Eliza Danvers." Kara said, suddenly excited. She knew that word, 'hang out'! She was being invited somewhere! Kara had seen kids go home together to 'hang out' but had never been asked to go along. Alex was asked on occasion and went, and Kara would corner Alex when she returned home and hug the older girl to sneak a sniff so Kara could know what Alex had experienced. The Kryptonian smelled food, always, on Alex. Cheeses, meats, sour candy, butter, and soda… hanging out meant food!

"Great!" Sharon continued chattering excitedly about what they would do when they hung out when the Asian girl suddenly fell silent as a bunch of girls in their grades walked past them, snickering and whispering.

"Hi Sharon," Belinda called out, sickly sweet. The other two girls with Belinda broke out into giggles and whispers.

Sharon visibly stiffened as they walked past, only after they left did she continue talking as if nothing had happened. But Kara had heard what they said. And she saw red for a second because she knew whatever it was had made her friend sad. She could smell it.

"Hey-" Before she was even up, Sharon was in front of her, blocking Kara's way. The blonde had to stop herself quickly because if she knocked into Sharon, she might have sent her friend flying.

"They made you feel bad." Kara's hands were gripped into fists. "They called you Stinky Sharon. And I think that hurt your feelings."

"How did you even hear that," Sharon shook her head, the quaver in her voice made Kara even angrier. "It's fine. You know, my parents own the only Chinese restaurant in town."

"I will go and demand that they apologize to you." Kara said firmly, hands still clenched at her sides.

"No, Kara. Just let it go." Sharon tried to smile. "It's fine. They're always like that. At least this time they didn't ask me if I had dogs on the menu at the restaurant."

"Why?" Kara demanded to know, the unfairness, the unnecessary hurt they were causing Sharon flabbergasted Kara. Why? Why would anybody do things like that to make someone sad?

Sharon shrugged. "Because they're mean. And they've been doing it forever."

"I will talk to them." Kara said firmly.

"No. Kara, no. Please. Just leave it alone." Sharon was sad but… happy at the same time. It confused Kara.

"But they-"

"I'm glad you want to talk to them for me but what I need right now is just you to let it go. It's fine." Sharon patted Kara on the shoulder.

"But they shouldn't be mean."

Sharon gave Kara a pained smile. "Yeah. But sometimes people are just mean. It's better to just ignore them, cuz Belinda can really make school miserable for you."

"But you're already unhappy." Kara argued stubbornly. "I'll make her stop."

"Please, Kara." Sharon clasped her hands together. "Let me deal with this myself. It's already been a lot better since me and you started hanging out. At least now I'm not alone."

"You were alone before?" Kara tilted her head to the side.

Sharon shrugged, hunching her shoulders. "Come on, Kara. You must have noticed that besides you and the Science Club, nobody else talks to me."

Kara frowned thoughtfully as she tried to remember a time when someone not in the Science Club actually said something to Sharon and engaged her in conversation. Besides Brendan in Alex's grade, nobody else seemed to approach Sharon.

"Why?" Kara asked again, suddenly horrified that there was an imposed isolation on Sharon. The Asian girl smiled sadly and shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Don't worry," Kara put a hand on top of Sharon's shoulder. "I'm your friend. Your… BFF. Is that correct?"

"Yeah, Kara." Sharon grinned. "Yeah, that's great."

Kara grinned, then perked up, turning to face the front doors of the school.

"It's Alex!" Kara reported happily, just as Alex pushed through the doors, a smile already on her lips as she sighted Kara.

"Waiting long? Hi Sharon." Alex reached out and placed a comforting hand on top of Kara's head. Kara practically purred with happiness as the thrum of Alex's heartbeat connected with her skin, grounded her to this Earth.

"You're like a puppy sometimes," Sharon laughed at Kara, and it did seem that if Kara had a tail, she would be wagging it furiously at the near proximity of Alex. "And it's like you have Alex-radar. You always know when she's about to arrive."

Alex's hand left Kara's head abruptly. Before the conversation could continue, they were all distracted by someone calling out to them.

"Alex! Kara!" Eliza was coming up the steps. "Hi, Sharon."

"Hi Dr. Danvers!" Sharon said respectfully. "Can Kara come over and hang out some time?"

Alex and Eliza both had matching looks of panic on their faces before it smoothed over.

"Well, I don't know, Sharon. Kara is-"

"I can do it!" The thought of food motivated Kara to jump from one foot to the next. "I can go! I can do it!"

Alex and Eliza exchanged looks again.

"Alone, sweetheart?" The spot between Eliza's eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"I'll be with Sharon. It'll be fine." Kara nodded. Eliza looked from one hopeful child to the next and sighed.

"Let me ask Jeremiah and then we'll see." Eliza sighed, conceding. The two girls squealed and jumped around together while Alex looked on in worry.

"Alright," Eliza glances at the watch on her wrist. "We have to go in soon, the school counsellor is probably waiting for us."

It was a monthly check-in with the school counsellor and a school board-appointed psychologist to deal with the circumstances of Kara's adoption. Superman had thought it was best to keep as close to the truth as possible, that Kara's parents had died the Danvers had adopted her and the school had responded accordingly with trauma like this-scheduled visits with a mental health professional.

"See you tomorrow!" Sharon waved good-bye and headed out while Alex stood there, looking determined.

"I'll wait." Alex announced, like she always did. Alex had only ever missed the first few sessions, when Kara was new to Earth and Alex resented Kara with a deep anger. But now, Alex wanted to stick around and support Kara.

"Alex, you don't have to stay here, you head on home." Eliza repeated herself, the same song and dance they always did.

"I'll stay and just go home with all of you later." Alex's answer was always the same. They would argue but Alex would stick around. Eliza alternated between being proud of Alex for taking the responsibility of taking care of Kara so seriously, to worrying that that was all Alex was focusing on. Jeremiah had brought up that Alex was focusing on this 'problem' with the single-mindedness determination that their daughter had, reminiscent of when Alex was just four and a half years old and had been determined to ride a two-wheel bike. She had borrowed an older neighbourhood kid's bike and attempted to ride it until she could. Jeremiah and Eliza had been horrified when Alex came back bleeding from head to toe.

But. This was different. Kara needed so much looking after and Eliza was certain that her husband was just worrying needlessly...

"Hey, Alex!" A voice calling out to her distracted the two Danvers women from their burgeoning argument. Brendan was heading up the stairs, grin on his face, a crowd of kids at the bottom of the school steps looking up at them curiously.

"Oh, hey Brendan." Alex greeted.

"What are you doing? Want to come to the mall with us? We're gonna watch a movie! Mrs. Danvers, is it okay if Alex came out with us?" Brendan asked in a rush. "We're just going to the mall."

"No, I can stay-"

"No, it'll be good for you, Alex." Eliza patted her daughter's head fondly. "Go on-how are you kids getting there?"

"Someone's older sister is going to drive us. She has a van."

"Alright. Alex," Eliza reached into her pocket and took out twenty bucks, handing it to her eldest. "Don't spend it all in one place, okay? If you need me to pick you up, just give me a call afterwards."

Alex stood there, gaping. Her plan to stay had been completely dismantled in seconds as Brendan started herding her away from Kara and her mother and shuttled away in a van through her protests, with other children. Kara could still hear Alex, protesting and saying she had to stay with Kara while Brendan soothed her quietly in the noise of the van full of kids. Telling her he sees her and sees that she needs time to herself, too. That it wasn't helping Kara if Alex babied her. And that Alex needed to concentrate on herself and shouldn't just give up everything to take care of Kara.

"I can take care of myself." Kara said aloud as the van disappeared around a corner. "Right, Eliza?"

"Right, Kara." Eliza nodded, not having been privy to Alex and Brendan's conversation in the van. But Kara had heard every word and now strode to the counsellor's office like one would stride off to war. She would show them!

"Kara!" The counsellor, Mr. Richard Shears and the psychologist, Dr. Caroline Turing, turned to her in surprise as she barged in through the door, just remembering to pull back on her strength so she didn't break the door.

"Mr. Shears, Dr. Turing, I'm ready!" Kara declared, her face determined.

Dr. Turing smiled encouragingly. "I'm glad you're so ready for your session. This time, Dr. Danvers-"

"Yes?" Eliza smiled.

"Would you mind if we spoke to her by herself?"

Eliza felt momentary panic again, but kept the smile on her face. "Of course."

Eliza walked outside of the counsellor's office to wait in the reception area. The man and woman in the room smiled at Kara and Kara smiled right back. She liked these two people. Dr. Caroline Turing was… very young. Or so everyone seemed to say but Kara didn't really know why that was a problem. By the time children reached adulthood on Krypton, most were involved in a chosen profession and strove to excel at it. Kara had been shadowing her mother and other adjudicators to explore the possibility of following in her mother's footsteps.

"So, Kara. How are you today?"

"Very well, thank you." Kara looked from one to the other. Mr. Shears, though older, seemed to be following Dr. Turing's lead. On Earth, Kara had noticed that the older the person, the more respect was expected to be shown to them, regardless of whether they deserved the respect or not. This was refreshing to see as Kara did think Dr. Turing was more effective at talking to her than Mr. Shears, so Kara smiled and hoped they could see she was happy with this arrangement.

"Is there anything you want to talk about today?" Dr. Turing asked. Kara was distracted by the highlights in her hair and since Dr. Turing had asked, she pointed it out.

"I would like to talk about your hair. How did you get it that colour? Were you born with it?" Kara squinted behind her glasses.

"Oh, these are highlights, and my hair is not usually this colour. My hair stylist did this for me. Do you like them?"

"Yes." Kara nodded.

"Would you like highlights in your hair? Or would you like to change the colour?"

Kara paused, thinking about her choices seriously. "I think I do like my hair this way. But, I would like a strand of my hair a different colour, like my aunt."

"Oh?" Dr. Turing smiled encouragingly. Kara turned to look over at Mr. Shears who was scribbling frantically in his notepad. The sound was distracting. Dr. Turing noticed her distraction and placed a hand on top of the notepad, stopping Mr. Shears from writing.

"So, Kara? You said your aunt had a strand of hair a different colour… is that the colour you like?"

Kara looked back up at Caroline Turing's face. "I like the colour of Alex's hair."

"And what colour is that?" Dr. Turing brought out her own notebook now, jotting down a quick note and stilling her pen immediately after.

"Humans… I mean… like we're all humans," Kara stuttered. "It's a… human colour. A colour humans have. And, uh, we're all humans. You, and Mr. Shears. And me."

Ms. Turing nodded, used to the tangents that Kara would go on.

"It's the colour of Ra-the sun. At sunset." Kara smiled wistfully. "I know Alex's hair is brown, but I can see tints of it, in her hair. The red."

"Alex, your foster sister, is that correct?"

"Yes." Kara nodded, pleased. She liked the way that Dr. Turing always confirmed what she was saying and didn't seem annoyed when Kara would ask for clarification sometimes in their conversations.

"The colour is called auburn, I believe." Dr. Turing supplied gently. "Why do you like that colour?"

"It reminds me of home." Kara answered honestly, blinking rapidly as she felt the onset of tears. It happened sometimes when she would think about Krypton.

"Kara, why don't you tell me about Alex?"Caroline Turing leaned back as Kara's face brightened, like the sun bursting through the clouds, as Kara talked about her favourite person. It was freeing, telling someone whose sole purpose it seemed, was to listen to Kara talk about everything and anything. Of course, Kara could see when Dr. Turing would sometimes try to direct the conversation towards an area she wanted to explore but it was always at Kara's pace.

Dr. Turing smiled a little secret smile as she jotted down small one-line notes. From what Kara was saying, the psychologist could surmise that Kara thought Alex hung the moon and the stars in the sky. Needless to say, it seemed that Kara was doing very well with the Danvers' family and seemed set on making the best of her situation despite the tragedy that had befallen her. Kara had been diagnosed as having high-functioning autism but Dr. Turing didn't think the diagnosis was correct. Neurologically, Kara was different, but to classify it in certain terms didn't fit for Dr. Turing. Kara was… different. Almost alien. Kara was not like any of the other people Dr. Caroline Turing saw and Dr. Turing watched people meticulously. The little blonde girl seemed to struggle with social norms and languages, which most doctors would diagnose as autism, but Dr. Turing just wasn't completely satisfied with that explanation.

Kara was, for all that had happened to her, healthy and as happy as she could be given the circumstances. The Danvers seemed to care about her and Alex Danvers in particular seemed a particularly bright spot. They talked some more, then Dr. Turing decided to cut the session short when she could see Kara's attention wavering.

"You seem impatient about something." Dr. Turing pointed out.

"Alex went out with her friends." Kara's lips poked out in a little pout. They had come a long way. Before, facial expressions and body language seemed to escape Kara.

"That's okay, though, right?" Dr. Turing smiled encouragingly. "She has friends and so do you."

"But I like her best." Kara responded truthfully.

Mr. Shears chuckled, adding in his two cents. "I used to hang out with my brothers all the time, too. But then we got sick of each other. Then they had their friends and I had mine."

Kara looked at Mr. Shears, concentrating on his words.

"All the time?"

"Yeah," Mr. Shears smiled at Kara. "We would get into fights and everything. I was the youngest, so I guess I was kind of annoying."

Kara nodded seriously.

"Alright, let's bring Dr. Danvers in and we can wrap up." Dr. Turing got up to bring Eliza in. Throughout the rest of the session, Kara wasn't paying much attention, fidgeting with her hands and occasionally pushing her glasses back up her nose when they slipped down. On the ride back home she was quiet, only asking if Alex had called. The older girl had not, but had texted to say that the movie would take maybe two to three hours, then Brendan would get her home.

With Eliza busying with dinner, Kara excused herself out to the shed. Viox opened itself up for her, and Kara clambered into the pod.

" _Lady Kara, it seems that you are in some distress. Is there anything I can do to assist you?_ " Viox asked, it's interior glowing a comforting red.

The red of Rao's dying light at sunset.

The colour of Alex's hair.

" _Viox. Am I annoying?_ "

" _No, my lady._ " Viox answered earnestly.

" _Do you think… do you think Alex will ever get tired of me? Get annoyed with me?_ " Kara wrapped her arms around her knees, curling up as small as possible.

" _Alexandra Danvers is an honourable person. And she genuinely cares about you._ " Viox pointed out. " _I know at the beginning you had reported that you were having difficulty connecting with her, but she is truly for you and would make a loyal companion._ "

" _I don't think they do that here, Viox._ " Kara's breath hitched in her throat. " _I have no-one, except you and Kal-El._ "

" _My lady, what has happened?_ " Viox was at a loss. He… had never developed his understanding of emotions as he had no need of it. He was a survival pod and he focused on the necessities to sustain life for his charge. He never thought he would need to develop his understanding of how to make Kara thrive.

" _Will she get sick of me?_ " Kara asked, wanting and not wanting to know the answer at the same time.

" _You had your counselling today. Was this because of something they said?_ " The tone of Viox's voice could be considered angry. " _I shall submit an anonymous complaint against your mental health provider. I have already accessed her credentials and they seem most peculiar. I will advise the local law enforcement-_ "

" _No, Viox. It's… Dr. Turing is great. It's just, something Mr. Shears-_ "

" _He is not even a doctor! Why would they allow-_ "

" _Viox,_ " Kara laughed through her sadness and allowed a smile on her face. " _By merit, not by credentials. My father had always stressed that. Just because he does not have a title does not mean he may not be helpful._ "

" _But in this instance, he was not._ " Viox was pulsing angrily and his exterior was prickling into furious spikes. " _Let me call Alex and have her come to you, you always feel better-_ "

" _No, no, don't call her!_ " Kara wiped at her face frantically. " _She's having fun with her friends. I can do this._ "

Kara smiled tremulously at the display in front of her. " _I am strong. I am the l-last daughter of Krypton. I'm grateful for everything, for the c-chance that I had been given on t-this planet._ "

" _Lady Kara…_ "

" _Let me just stay in here for a bit. Please._ "

" _As you wish, my lady._ " Viox dimmed the lights and the interior changed so it was like she was looking out at Krypton from her room… Kara ducked her head down, willing the tears to stop. This overwhelming grief had come farther and farther in between… but the thought of that just made her even more sad. One day, will this hurt fade? And when this hurt was gone… what would she be left with?


	10. Chapter 10

"So you'll call if anything's wrong?" Jeremiah Danvers looked back at Kara nervously. This was her first outing with a friend, even if it was just a Saturday afternoon hanging out, a few hours at the most, with a girl from school… the whole Danvers family was nervous. So nervous that they had all decided to pile into the same car to drive Kara to her friend's house.

"I have the cellular phone Kal-El gifted me." Kara was equally excited. Alex looked at the blonde dubiously and clenched her hands into fists. Usually now, Kara would reach out for her and try to hold her hand. But this past week, since the counseling session, Kara hadn't come to her at night. Kara would usually stay and talk with her until Alex dozed off, but Kara had been staying away. It was only a few nights but Alex felt like Kara was withdrawing from her.

"Well, we'll be back… after dinner? To pick you up?" Eliza said anxiously. "You know to call us if anything, right? And we'll text once in awhile just to make sure everything is alright."

"It's fine." Kara squared her shoulders, looking determined. Alex caught the quick look Kara shot in her direction. "I'm fine, I can do this. May I go now?"

"Alright honey, have fun." Jeremiah ruffled Kara's hair and Eliza cupped the blonde's cheek affectionately.

"I'll walk you to the door!" Alex blurted out. She was out her side of the car with the door open, impatiently waiting for Kara before anyone could say anything. Kara slipped out cautiously, almost like she was fearful of Alex. Kara kept her eyes downcast and Alex couldn't help it, she grabbed Kara's hand forcefully and held on even though she knew her parents were watching and big displays of physical contact was never something Alex would willingly do in front of people.

"I'm okay. I can do this myself." Kara said stiffly, but was looking at Alex's hand in hers intensely, as if she wanted to burn that image into her mind.

"You can, but I want to." Alex replied.

"You have other things to do." Kara insisted.

"Like sit in the car?" Alex rolled her eyes. "Come on. Even if I do have other things to do, I will never be too busy to walk you to the door of your friend's place. Especially since this is the first time you're hanging out with someone alone."

"Really?" Kara finally met Alex's eyes.

"Really. I'll never be too busy for you." Alex replied, looking forward again so she didn't have to feel super embarrassed by what she had said. She rang the doorbell and didn't let go of Kara's hand until they could hear someone unlocking the door.

"Hey Kara! Hey Alex!" Sharon greeted them excitedly. Three little faces looked out from behind Sharon's body curiously.

"Oh, your little brother and sisters!" Kara's eyes widened in delight. "Alex, look, they're adorable!"

"Yeah, Sharon they look like miniature versions of you!" Alex grinned. That prompted the youngest boy, who looked about five, to grimace and run away. "Alright, see you later, Kara. Call me beep me?"

"If you wanna reach me!" Kara completed the little song with a grin. Alex impulsively gave Kara a one-armed hug then quickly said goodbye to Sharon before fleeing back to the family car.

"That was very nice, sweetheart." Jeremiah was beaming at his daughter and Eliza looked super proud.

"Yeah, yeah," Alex was flushing deeply as Jeremiah put the car in reverse. Kara watched her go, catching her sister's eye through the window. The older girl waved good-bye and Kara, shyly, waved back.

"Well, I guess it's just us tonight." Jeremiah hummed. Alex turned in her seat and kept Kara in her line of sight until they rounded a corner. "Your mom and I are going to the secret lair to do experiments, do you want to join us?"

"You mean the basement lab?" Alex rolled her eyes at how corny her dad is. Seriously. She wasn't a kid anymore. But… she did love her science.

"Sure. What are we doing today?"

"Looking at RESULTS!" The Danvers parents crowed gleefully. Alex felt her own little surge of excitement but tamped it down with surly teenage attitude.

"Well, I guess we can." Alex said grudgingly. But it was always exciting when they got to test samples that Superman provided them with. With Kryptonian physiology, the aliens did not shed. There was no blonde hair on Kara's comb, no skin cells scrubbed loose, maybe some cheek swabs, but asking Kara for samples was something none of the Danvers wanted to do; not something they wanted to do to Kara. Superman, however, willingly gave the Danvers whatever samples they asked for and sometimes more than what they asked for to answer his own questions. Alex overheard her parents once talking about how they could help Superman have a normal relationship. When they saw her listening in though, they immediately changed the subject saying it wasn't for her ears.

Today, as they all crowded into the basement-turned-lab, Superman had sent them samples of his hair. They had realized that Superman's hair was almost as indestructible as him; impossible to break, to cut, to burn. As long as it was attached to him. But if the hair was cut or pulled from him, there was a shelf-life to how long his hair could remain. With the root attached, the hair would last a couple of months holding up a weight of up to a few tons, before it loses it's invulnerability and snapped. If Superman had cut off the hair, a few weeks at best was the shelf-life of the hair before it loses it's invulnerability.

Disintegration would follow the weakening of the hair, and within a few days, the hair would be gone. It would only be during the weakening time where they could properly examine the molecular structure of the hair and better understand how Superman worked, though the weakening of the hair was, possibly, a change in the structure or the chemical composition of the hair.

They've surmised that hair, eyelashes and any other samples from Superman lost their super-abilities after leaving Superman, with different shelf-lives. The samples all seemed to disintegrate and gave them no workable data, but neither were they able to get any data from the samples without heavy equipment present. So in their home, they tended to stick with number crunching and hypothesizing and reviewing results, something that they had always included Alex in. At the heart of it all, the Danvers' were a geeky family.

They spent most of their time, quietly going over charts or discussing what a spike in data would mean. This wasn't something they had never done before, in fact they had done this many times before. But since Kara had arrived, family time like this was far and few in between. Even though Alex relished the time together, her eyes kept drifting to the clock on the wall, wondering what Kara was doing, wondering if she was okay...

She was happy, Alex was. This was what she wanted, wasn't it? To be like it used to be when she was the star. She felt a bitterness, wondering when had Kara become so ingrained in her life, that now she can't do anything without thinking about her. It had only been a few hours, really.

"I'm getting something to eat." Alex announced. Both parents murmured their acknowledgement and the brunette hopped up the steps, going to the kitchen to grab an apple. She took a few angry bites, not knowing why her emotions were roiling. She felt… confused.

Pulling out her phone, Alex didn't know why but she immediately typed out a quick message to Kara, then sent it. Kara replied almost immediately.

'We're having a snack soon. I'm hiding in the washroom'

Alex frowned and her fingers flew over the face of her phone, sending out a reply.

'R U ok? Need me to come get u?'

'I'm fine. Just the food smells delicious and I feel like I'm going to eat the table.'

Alex chuckled. The one thing Kara had really taken to was food.

'I miss you.' Alex typed out, then immediately deleted it, replacing it with something else. Something wry and sarcastic, with just a hint of caring slipped in. Alex just wrote whatever came to mind, maybe a word or a few, just a short, short sentence. Whatever it was was erased by Kara's reply.

'I miss you, too.'

Alex chuckled. Of course Kara would know what she really meant. She leaned against the kitchen counter, contemplating her next message, then finally biting the bullet and sending a heart in reply.

'Angle bracket 3?'

'Turn your head to the right and look at it.'

'It looks like an Earth symbol for heart!'

Alex waited a second and sure enough, another message popped up.

'You 3 me?'

Alex could just imagine the hopeful look Kara would give her, those blue eyes looking at her as if she was the end all and be all of her existence. This girl who could fly like a bird and came from the stars; she thought Alex was the world. And it honestly weighed so heavily on Alex, she wanted to be that for Kara, to not let her down, to protect her. But how do you protect someone who is faster than a speeding bullet, who is invulnerable, unstoppable, and practically a demi-god? Someone like that didn't need protection. How was Alex relevant? How could Alex compare? When Kara finally acclimatized to this new world, where would Alex fit in in her life?

And wouldn't it be fine if Kara left? It would be, wouldn't it? Everything could go back to normal, just her, her dad, and her mom. No Kara from another world, no weird sister to look after at school, no-one keeping her awake at night, no-one to watch the stars with and no-one to be there all the time. Alex would be number one again.

Apparently, she took too long to answer, and her phone buzzed with a message from Kara, who was forever impatient.

'I angle bracket three you, too.'

Alex snorted with laughter. She sent back a wink emoji, which prompted Kara to ask what that was also. It took a second for her to write back that she figured it out herself.

'I will give you humans this: you are quite inventive. ;)'

Alex just shook her head. That goof. About to slip her phone back into her pocket, a message popped up from Brendan.

'waves on the Point and theyre perfect. You said youre "okay" so we're comin to getchu. We rolling on two wheels.'

"Aw, yeah!" Alex shoved her phone into her back pocket and hurried down to the basement, practically flying down.

"Alex," Eliza tsked when her daughter landed hard on the basement floor. "Be careful!"

"Mom, dad, can I go out with Brendan and them?" Alex hopped from one foot to the other. "We're gonna go surfing!"

Alex and Brendan had been getting along in and out of school. Alex had friends, but Brendan was gearing up to be one of her closest. He was nice and they had the same interests and shared the same kind of humour. They were really good together, but Rebecca hovering around them put Alex on edge a bit. Brendan and Alex had an easy camaraderie, borne of time together and Brendan's unwavering support of Alex when it came to Kara. He didn't try to make a move on her, didn't make her uncomfortable, and was just fine hanging out with her.

"Who else is going?" Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. He had of course noticed how Alex and the Lee's boy had been getting along and felt a little bit protective of his little girl.

"Brendan and some of the guys." Alex whined, dancing from foot to foot impatiently. She hadn't been surfing as much since Kara came… really, she hadn't been surfing at all.

"Where?"

"The Point!"

"Lifeguards on duty?"

"We all have our lifesaving certifications!"

"Is someone driving?"

"Taking our bikes!"

"Any girls going? Or is it just boys?" Jeremiah continued his questions of the restless teen who groaned in frustration at this line of questioning.

"I don't know! Come on, dad!"

Eliza chuckled. "Oh, just let her go and have some fun, Jeremiah. Go on, Alex. Get your stuff."

Alex quickly darted away with a quick "thank you!" before her dad could veto her mother's decision, taking the stairs two at a time back up to the ground floor, then up to the second floor.

"She's been spending a lot of time with that Brendan kid," Jeremiah muttered grumpily.

"Well, she has been really good lately, I don't see why she can't go out and have some fun with her friends. And Brendan is a good boy." Eliza leaned forward and pecked a kiss on her husband's cheek. They could hear their daughter pounding back down the stairs and with a shouted goodbye, she was out the door, surfboard in hand.

Alex was opening up the garage and dragging out her bike when she could hear the voices of the boys approaching and the sound of their bicycles. Everybody had their surfboards firmly wedged into the surfboard racks attached to their bikes. The teenaged Danvers' smile faltered a bit when she realized that Rebecca had come along, her eyes on Alex and a smirk on her face.

"Hey guys. Hi Rebecca." Alex said nervously, pulling her garage door back down and locking it.

"Hey, Alex." Brendan bumped fists with Alex, super-excited. He hadn't been a surfer before moving here but now, he tried to go out as much as possible. His board was still quite new, and he was super careful with it. Alex mounted her bike and they were all off. As the only two girls, Alex it seemed natural to gravitate to Rebecca's side.

"Didn't know you surfed." Alex started the conversation cautiously.

"Well, you're not around enough to find out more about me." Rebecca shrugged and there was a slight sneer on her face. "You spend most of your time with your foster sister."

"Well, I have to take care of her-" Alex frowned.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "You hardly ever come out! I see you for tutoring and then you just run off."

"Kara needs me-"

"She's fine." Rebecca scoffed, tossing back her long hair. "She's not here today, surprisingly."

"She's out with a friend." Alex's hands tightened on her handlebars, feeling the separation anxiety something fierce. Rebecca looked at Alex out of the corner of her eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh.

"You're too nice for your own good, Alex." Rebecca lifted up so she could speed up and catch up with the boys, leaving Alex in the dust, staring after Rebecca and blushing at the rise and fall of Rebecca's hips. This was why Rebecca was the most popular girl in school. Alex wished she had Rebecca's perfect hair, and her naturally olive skin. Her figure filled out like how Alex imagined a girl's should, a curvy figure with breasts and ass. Alex felt like a stick next to Rebecca, with her awkward knees and elbows and feet and hands that were way too big.

They arrived at the beach, whooping when they saw they were the only ones besides two or three other surfers out in the water. Alex's self-critical thoughts vanished at the sight of the ocean. She had changed into her gear before heading out, already wearing board shorts and a long-sleeved rashie, eager to get into the water. Bikes were locked at the bike stand at the beaches and with their surfboards tucked under their arms, the teenagers ran eagerly for the surf.

They all let out loud yells as they hit the water which was refreshingly cool, paddling out eagerly to where they could catch a wave. Alex looked to her right, seeing Brendan paddling out with sure strokes. To her left, Rebecca laughed in the water and Alex was suddenly stunned by how the other girl looked in the sunlight that was bouncing off the water.

"Alex."

Alex looked back at Brendan, who was looking from Rebecca to Alex, eyebrows raised. Like he had seen something and knew something that Alex didn't quite know.

"Come on," Brendan pulled her board closer to his with a tight smile. "Speed up, we don't know if the waves will stay clean."

"Right, right." Alex blinked and sputtered as a spray hit her face, glanced over at Rebecca again when she laughed.

"Come on, Alex." Rebecca was a little bit ahead. "I thought you were good?"

Alex blushed. "Who told you that?"

"I guessed."

They paddled out to a good spot and sat around waiting for waves, chatting with each other, interspersed with going off on their boards, screaming gleefully. Alex had tied her hair up in an untidy bun on top of her head, laughing in the ocean spray and sometimes falling silent as she watched Rebecca catch a wave, unable to look away and not knowing why. Sometimes Brendan would catch her staring and splash her to get her attention, other times Alex would catch him watching her. Alex didn't know what any of these looks meant and didn't know why she couldn't stop looking at Rebecca.

When they were tired out after many runs to the beach, everyone started just goofing around. Brendan tackled Alex into the water at one point, quickly taking her out of her own head. That started off a water fight that Rebecca joined in on, latching onto Alex's back from behind, everyone laughing and giggling in the sun as they took a break from surfing. It helped Alex forget that she was learning to deal with an alien who was now her sister, an alien that she resented sometimes, but more and more, cared about deeply. Just sitting in the ocean on their boards and chatting about school and video games, no longer eager to catch every wave and willing to wait for the really good ones, Alex felt relaxed for once.

It wasn't long until one of the boys called the time and started his last run to the shore, and everyone followed. Bone-tired, probably sunburned, but definitely happy-drunk on the high that came from surfing, they all made it to shore. The teenagers loaded up their boards and everyone went their separate ways, Brendan hanging behind with Alex until everyone left. Everyone except Rebecca, who made her way over. She looked like she knew a secret as she grinned at Alex unabashedly and Alex stared back dumbly.

"See you at school?" The queen bee of Midvale pinned Alex with a look that honestly sent shivers down the brunette's spine.

"Yeah. Sure." Alex shrugged clumsily, almost losing hold of her handlebars and dropping her bike and board, but managing to catch it before it did. She felt… slow. Stupid. What was happening? And it seemed she got even more cotton-headed when Rebecca leaned forward and pressed a quick good-bye kiss on her cheek. Not unlike the ones Rebecca gives to her inner clique of mean girls at school, but this was something Alex had never received before.

"See what you miss, Danvers?" Rebecca settled back on her bicycle. "You should ditch your sister and hang out more. It was cute when you first started babying an orphan, but you know, it's only cute for a while. Then it's weird."

Alex bristled, Rebecca's words finally cutting through the haze of pretty eyes and soft skin and lips.

"See you Brendan!" Rebecca sing-songed then headed off, waving carelessly without looking back.

"Rebecca is so goddamn mean all the time." Brendan was frowning beside Alex. "Come on. I'll bike you home, I'm on the way."

"Yeah, sure." Alex nodded, still feeling really confused. Something had happened today but she wasn't sure. Rebecca had been friendlier than usual with her, and Brendan had seemed to catch on to that.

"So," Brendan finally broke the silence as they pedalled side by side back to Alex's house. "What's up with you and Rebecca?"

"What do you mean?" Alex glanced over at Brendan.

"You two are real chummy today."

Alex shrugged, suddenly feeling like she should be wary as to where this conversation was heading to.

"Yeah, I guess. So?"

Brendan's sidelong glance was full of meaning. "Just a heads up that Rebecca does this with everyone. Guys, girls, whatever. She just likes the attention, so don't get sucked in."

Alex almost lost control of her bike, coming to a screeching halt. When Brendan realized Alex was no longer following him, he did a sharp turn and rounded back to her side.

"You okay?"

"What do you mean? By Rebecca doing this with everyone." Alex wobbled a bit as she started pedalling again.

"Anything that gives her more attention, she'll try to get in on." Brendan scoffed, resuming his pedalling beside her. "You're smart, funny, and pretty. People like you and if you like her, then people pay attention to her. That's why she's flirting with you."

Alex's face went bright red and she hoped that Brendan would think it was just from the sun when they were surfing. It felt like she was still surfing, as her blood roared in her ears, panic gripping her tight.

"But, but I'm not-" Alex stuttered.

"It's fine." Brendan finally seemed to notice the state Alex was in. "It's fine, I know, Rebecca's hot-"

"No." Alex shook her head. "No, it's not what you think."

Brendan gave her a look halfway between pitying and amused. "Sure."


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you to all the people who kept leaving me comments. Really motivated me to write and I needed a lot of motivation for this chapter. There were several revisions of this, actual FULL LENGTH CHAPTERS DONE. And then I erased it because it didn't jive with everything. And I was feeling super weird, what with this new world that we're living in where someone so vastly unfit could win over someone who spent her life being ready. Fuck, man.

So hopefully the lot of you like this. Tell me how you think this might go, or how you want it to go. And apologies for the long hiatus and I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

Kara didn't like Rebecca that much. She told Kal as much during one of their weekly telephone calls.

"Well, you know Alex has friends, too." Kal-El's voice was tinny and small. But it was better than the primitive form of 'video-calling' they have on Earth.

"I am not jealous." Kara replied firmly, scowling. Rebecca had come calling for surfing. It seemed that now that there was something Alex could do without Kara, Rebecca was taking every opportunity to drag the older girl out without her blonde shadow.

"It's been hours." Kara whined. "She should be back by now!"

Kal chuckled. "They'll be fine. They're probably having a lot of fun."

"She could be having lots of fun with me. And she could be safe." Kara huffed. "I was watching the television, and there are sharks in the water! They eat surfers!"

"They eat a lot of things, Kara, not just surfers." Clark chuckled. "And didn't Alex enter a contest with her friends? She has to practice."

"She doesn't need to," Kara's chest puffed out with pride. "She's already better than everyone else! That's why she should come home. I heard sharks come out during dusk."

Kara shuddered at the thought of the creatures and their many teeth.

"Well, sharks are necessarily bad, Kara-"

"I know, Shark Week explained that. Sharks just remind me too much of the creature living in one of the oceans on a tribute planet I once visited." Kara replied solemnly. "There are too many teeth. And don't get me started on the dolphins… those creatures have the truest ability for evil as defined by humans, wrapped in a deceptively cute package."

"Ooookay." Clark made a note to himself to talk to the Danvers about limiting Kara's intake of animal documentaries. "But besides Alex, how's school?"

"School is unchallenging." Kara replied. "Except for my peers. They are difficult to understand, but I am learning their slang."

"I see," Sometimes Kara slipped into a more formal way of speaking, as if she was a walking textbook, but her speech was more casual than when Clark had first met her on Earth. "And I heard you have a school-appointed doctor looking after you?"

"Yes, Dr. Turing and I have very good conversations. I find her very intelligent." Kara smiled, remembering the doctor with the secretive smile on her face. "She is helping me to fit in."

"That's very good." Clark was pleased. There was a moment of silence on the phone, before Kara asked her next question.

"When can I see you?"

Clark winced. He always dreaded his calls with Kara because she would ask him this question. "Kara, you know I can't at the moment, I'm just… I'm really busy right now."

Clark barely had time to even rest as a new journalist, let alone fly around saving people. Lois Lane and him were also together a lot for assignments so that was something he didn't want to miss, either. Sure, he could quick change like nobody's business, but there was only so many hours in the day, and maintaining his human persona AND saving Metropolis and the world at large was a 24-hour job. His cousin was well-taken care of and… he just didn't have the time. Truthfully, taking care of a young Kryptonian teenager was a task that even he, as Superman, found incredibly daunting, if not impossible.

"I know." Kara's reply was soft and wounded.

"But is everything okay?"

"Yeah." Kara tried to sound more cheerful, but this was her baby cousin. Or not so baby cousin. She just wanted to see that he was okay. He was her only family.

"I'll try my best to come out to see you soon." Clark promised. He knew he had to... maybe the next holiday he had he could take off for a quick visit.

"Alright-Oh!" Kara had been looking out the second floor window, facing the road. "Alex is coming back! I have to 'hang-up' now, Kal-El!"

"It's Clark, remember? Talk to you later, Kara." Clark's smile was audible on the phone, but his words made Kara's heart hurt. She tried to keep her spirits up, though, remembering that Alex was coming home as she pressed the end call button.

Kara watched Alex approaching from far away, could hear her heartbeat in her ear, beating quicker because she was pedalling. Kara frowned when she saw Rebecca biking beside Alex and it didn't seem possible, but her frown deepened when Rebecca said something that caused Alex to throw back her head and laugh uproariously.

Kara watched until they had rolled to a stop on the driveway, on their bikes. Kara… Kara had never seen that look on Alex's face. That look was so unsure, as Rebecca leaned over on her bike, coming way too close to Alex. Almost talking in her face.

"Now wasn't that nice? Just you and me, out on the ocean." Kara could hear Rebecca's voice, pitched lower than normal, and Kara bristled at the tone.

"Yeah," Alex laughed, and Kara could hear her heart beating triple time, even though she wasn't pedalling anymore. When Rebecca lifted a hand to grab on to the sleeve of Alex's shirt, Kara suddenly understood the expression, 'seeing red'.

" _Hey!_ " Kara exclaimed angrily in Kryptonian. Apparently, she was loud enough for them to hear outside as Alex sprang away from Rebecca and almost tripped over her own bike. Rebecca looked around until she spotted Kara at the second floor window. Her sneer said exactly what she thought about Kara and really, for Kara, the feeling was mutual.

" _Get away from her!_ " Kara shouted angrily. Rebecca rolled her eyes at the blonde, not understanding, and the building muffling Kara enough that Rebecca didn't quite get that Kara was screaming in a different language.

"I'll see you at school?" Rebecca patently ignored Kara's incensed shouting.

"Uh, yeah," Alex was looking up at Kara, trying to tell the little alien to just chill out silently, and was totally unprepared for the quick hug Rebecca gave her.

Alex was red as a tomato. Kara was, too, but for entirely different reasons.

"AGH!" Kara felt her eyes heating up and clamped them shut, though she was still furious and secretly, wouldn't have minded shooting Rebecca into space. The blonde sat down on the floor, holding her hands over her eyes and glasses, and feeling just so angry. She could hear Alex saying goodbye to Rebecca, could hear her parking her bike and putting her surfboard back on the rack in the garage. Kara could hear the garage door closing, could hear Alex bursting through the door in the garage, calling out a hurried greeting to her mom and running up the stairs.

"Kara!" Her foster sister's voice was loud in her ear, angry.

Kara kept her eyes squeezed shut and now clamped her hands over her ears, shaking. The feelings roiling through her was… unpleasant to say the least. On Krypton, she didn't remember ever feeling like this. Everything was a rational, even, atmosphere. There were no explosions of emotions to bring her to tears all the time, no white noise of… EVERYTHING closing in… no emotions, nothing she couldn't think through… even when Aunt Astra had been taken away, even when her mom had put her into the pod… she was never as emotional as she was on Earth. She just had to calm down…

"Kara," Alex sounded far away, but Kara could hear the older girl's heart, steady and faithful, thrumming in Alex's chest. Kara startled when she felt Alex's hands over hers.

"It's okay." Alex was in front of her, pressing her forehead against Kara's. Sometimes, for Kara, it felt like Alex was as hot as Earth's yellow sun. And as Alex whispered to her, telling her to calm down, Kara thought about how it wasn't right. It wasn't right for Alex to be so close to Rebecca, for people to touch her. It wasn't what Kryptonians did, people were NOT. SUPPOSED. TO. TOUCH. HER.

"It's okay, Kara. Just breath. Listen to the sound of my voice." Alex's nails raked through Kara's hair, grounding her in touch, the sensory overload clearing, the pressure of Alex's fingers beating back that loud whiteness that encroached all around.

Kara opened her eyes a little bit, feeling that the heat behind her eyelids had dissipated. Kal-El had warned her about this, one of the first things he told her was the unimaginable power bestowed upon her on Earth.

"Feeling better?" Alex entwined her fingers in Kara's, pulling her hands down. They were both kneeling on the floor, Alex studying her with a worried frown.

"I'm sorry." Kara muttered.

"It's okay. But hey, it's been a long time since you've conked out like this." Alex stroked Kara's head affectionately. But Alex didn't know what Kara was apologizing for. The blonde was apologizing because she knew Alex didn't belong to her in any sense. Adoptive family or not, they weren't anything to each other, nothing permanent, nothing Kryptonian strong. She will always be Kara Zor-El. While she tried to integrate into Earth society, she had to use the identity of Kara Danvers but she will never forget where she's from.

Kara was apologizing for coveting Alex Danvers. They were nothing to each other and owed nothing. Alex was not her Companion, and was not of the House of El. There was no bond between them that would require Alex to commit special loyalties to Kara.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine." Kara smiled, trying her best to keep a 'stiff upper lip' but she felt… ashamed of herself. "I just need to… I'm sorry."

"Why don't we relax a bit? There's still some time before dinner, we can watch TV." Alex knew Kara liked the shows on TV, even though the blonde sometimes would gesture with her hand at the television and when nothing happened, Kara would make little noises of discontent and then make a little comment about how primitive human technology was.

"Ok." Kara acquiesced. She tried not to make a sound as Alex ran her fingers through Kara's hair again, thrilling the Kryptonian to the core of her being. This was something that those who BELONGED to each other did back on Krypton, but Kara didn't tell the older girl, knowing that that would 'freak out' Alex. The ability to physically touch someone, and to be able to do it when and where you want, were dictated by the rules of Kryptonian society. It was to show bonds, to show your politics, to show kinship, to show acceptance and welcome… Kara didn't remember ever seeing physical affection like she saw here on Earth. The most she saw that was slightly akin to Earth's physical affection was her father and his Companion when they thought they had been alone, and her father had been gently held from behind as his Companion pressed her cheek against his back. That was already quite a bit of physical touching. Her father and mother only ever held hands, and only in public at that to advertise their union. That had been enough and… it just wasn't like on Earth where it seemed everyone was obsessed with physicality. Even Kara, now that she was on Earth. Kara sometimes felt breathless with loneliness. And when she did, she keened for Alex and wanted the brunette to be next to her.

It felt presumptuous to Kara, for some people to shake her hand, to touch Kara, at first. But she learned the manners of this strange planet and shook hands and 'high-fived'. She accepted the needless encroachment into her personal space and learned to enjoy this. Kara sometimes wondered if all humans were like that because she did notice that Sharon's family weren't especially physical.

But it didn't feel presumptuous at all, when Alex took her hand. But this would have been a statement, in Kryptonian society. A very clear statement for Kara's people that whoever held her hand was hers in some way, as she was Alex's.

"Come on, I know they have those animal shows you like to watch now." Alex turned on the TV and flipped to a channel where a disembodied voice was narrating animals and their mating rituals. Kara half watched this show, more distracted by the fact that Alex kept their hands connected.

They watched TV for a while until they were called to help set the table for dinner. Kara knew Alex hated doing it so she always tried to rush ahead and do everything before Alex got there. By the time Alex had gotten up from the couch, Kara had already finished setting the table.

"Alex," Eliza tsked, entering the dining room with a deep pan.

"What?" Alex feigned innocence, but grinned at Kara when Eliza turned back to the kitchen.

"Everything smells so good!" Just like his daughter, Jeremiah appeared just as everything was ready.

"You two are doing the dishes after dinner." Eliza was back with a plate of asparagus. "Don't think for one second either of you are getting away without doing some chores tonight."

The father and daughter groaned but sat at the table to patiently wait for Eliza to get settled down. Kara had ducked into the kitchen and was bringing out the salad bowl.

"Thank you, Kara." Eliza smiled. As soon as Kara was seated too, everybody dug into their meal.

"So how's surfing going along?" Jeremiah heaped some salad on to his daughter's plate. "Rebecca was with you, right?"

"Yeah, she's really helping me with my form." Alex started talking enthusiastically about the other girl, who would help point out areas that she could improve in her technique. While Alex was a quick learn, she was impatient in her surfing. Rebecca helped pull her back a bit.

"She's really good at surfing, you know, but I'm a bit better. But if she worked a bit harder, she could be even better." Alex gushed about her new friend. Kara glared at her salad, not liking how this conversation was going.

"So do you need me to drive you over to her place after you shower?"

"Yeah, dad."

Kara's head shot up. "What?"

"Alex is sleeping over at Rebecca's. They're doing some early morning surfing." Jeremiah grinned at Alex. "Shredding those waves!"

"Dad," Alex groaned at how embarrassing Jeremiah was.

"No, she can't." Kara looked over at Eliza desperately. "That's not something she can do, right? She has to sleep here."

"Rebecca's closer to where we wanna surf, and we have to go early to get the good waves." Alex explained blithely. "I'll just see you at school in the morning."

"But you have your bed here." Kara argued. "Where will you sleep? It'll be easier to sleep here with your bed instead of bringing it over to Rebecca's."

"Well, I'm not bringing my bed over." Alex laughed a bit and her parents chuckled, too. "Rebecca has a queen sized bed, so I'll just sleep with her."

"You can't!" Kara was up out of her chair, suddenly incredibly angry, Kryptonian spilling out of her mouth so quickly Alex barely understood. " _She's nothing to you and you can't go to someone's house at night and just sleep there and be in the same bed as them and then I can smell her on you and you don't belong to each other!_ "

"Kara, honey, calm down. We don't understand what you're saying, try using English." Eliza was out of her chair and rubbing Kara's shoulders soothingly, but Kara was quivering with all the emotions that were bubbling up at the thought of Alex in the same bed as Rebecca.

"What's wrong, Kara?" Jeremiah was halfway out of his seat, watching Kara worriedly.

"I can do what I want." Alex said sullenly, reacting badly to what Kara had said, only able to focus on the fact that Kara had tried to get Eliza to stop her from going surfing. "And I want to win this competition, so I'm going over the Rebecca's. And what's it to you?"

Kara let out a breath that froze her salad to her plate, not that she noticed since she was so frustrated by the whole situation.

"On Krypton, there should always be a guest room separate from your host, if you are visiting. Sleeping in the same room is not acceptable! And sleeping in the same bed is-you just can't!" Kara wrung her hands. They just don't understand! And explaining the nuances of Kryptonian culture and society and the importance of how this system was for the House and the distinction that must be drawn, how Kryptonians felt about physical touch and proximity-

"Well, if it was a boy, of course she can't." Jeremiah joked, but the glare Kara shot him told Jeremiah that had been the wrong thing to say.

"Why does that matter? Rebecca is not of the House of Danvers so Alex cannot go-"

"Earth is not Krypton!" Alex was on her feet, angry that suddenly Kara was trying to stop her from doing something she wanted to do and suddenly she could feel all these words tumbling out of her mouth but she just didn't have any way of stopping them. "And you can't tell me what to do! Who are YOU to tell me what to do, anyways? By your logic, you shouldn't even be living here, you're not even really a Danvers!"

A sudden horrible silence fell over the table. Kara blinked owlishly at Alex, who was too stricken to move or say anything to fix what had happened. Alex wished, just really wished that there was a time machine and she could go back in time and just stop herself from saying what she had said, but it was too late. The alien in the room looked all too human now, but Kara didn't say anything, just turned away from the table and walked away quickly, her exit punctuated with the creak of the backyard screen door and the subsequent swinging slam signalling that Kara had left the building.


	12. Chapter 12

Hello! Thank you for reading and I really love reading the comments y'all give me. They are very much appreciated! I'm gonna try to write more stuff instead of concentrating on just the couple of stories I have going on and I gotta say, I'm really loving the supercorp fandom at the moment. Might try to write something for that but I'm not sure where to go with it. I dunno. Any ideas?

BTW, as I'm watching the 2nd season of Supergirl, once again, let my thoughts on this subject be known: Mon-El can go back in that fucking spaceship and got shot into the Phantom Zone. Give me Krypto any day. Or Streaky the cat.

* * *

Alex stood in the shed, shuffling her feet nervously. Kara had avoided her for… almost a whole week. Kryptonians didn't need to eat, they could live off the sun forever. So Kara came to the dinner table to say hi and still set the table, but she would disappear as soon as possible and avoid looking at anyone. Eliza and Jeremiah had tried to talk to Alex about it, but realized that their daughter already felt horrible enough about what she said and left her alone.

Alex should've felt… happy that she was let off easy. She had to cancel the sleepover at Rebecca's, but she was still allowed to go out surfing with her friends and train for her competition. Her parents didn't yell at her, didn't say anything, except Alex knew that they were disappointed by how she had acted. But even worse, they had hope that she would fix this mess by herself and tried to make ALEX feel better. Which only made Alex feel horrible all over again. She had failed so miserably to be nice to Kara, why didn't her parents yell at her?

Because of this whole debacle, her parents also spent a little bit more time with Kara, which Alex didn't mind, not one bit, not like how she minded at the beginning when Kara had come to stay with them. Alex swore she wouldn't mind ever, if Kara would just look at her again.

Alex had tried to talk to Kara, tried to catch her so Alex could grovel and apologize but the blonde would disappear before she could get a hold of her. Kara would talk to Jeremiah and Eliza alone, but Alex never seemed to be able to get a hold of Kara. Kara kept her head down and avoided Alex as much as possible. Even in the same car, Kara would train her eyes outside and not even glance at Alex's reflection, looking plaintively at Kara. But Alex was nothing if not tenacious, and finally caught Kara while she was in her pod. So the older girl stood there waiting for almost two hours, but knew Kara would have to come out for dinner.

Almost nearing a third hour of waiting, the brunette perked up at the sight of Viox's top yawning open to allow Kara to swing a leg over the edge of the cockpit and start clambering out, not seeming to have noticed that she wasn't alone. But when Kara raised her head, she startled violently when she locked eyes with the older girl. The little Kryptonian froze at the sight of Alex, then turned around to glare into Viox.

" _You didn't warn me that she was outside!_ " Kara complained in Kryptonian.

" _Lady Kara, you did not ask me to._ " Viox replied primly. Viox was very quickly trying to close up the opening so Kara couldn't retreat back into the pod, but had left just enough space so Kara could still pull herself out. Alex stood in front of the shed door and there was no other exit inside the shed that Kara could use. She was effectively trapped.

"Hey." Alex waved awkwardly. "Can we talk?"

Kara watched Alex warily, fear evident in her eyes.

"No. I… I don't think I want to." Kara said softly.

"Oh." Alex didn't know… what to do. "Oh."

There was a long, awkward silence. Not as horrible as the silence right after Alex had said those hurtful things, but still… the silence felt like a stone settling deep in Alex's stomach.

"Okay." Alex took a deep breath. "Okay, you don't have to say anything. I'm just going to talk."

"No." Kara clamped her hands over her ears, she didn't want to listen. "I don't want to hear it."

"Please, Kara." Alex took a step forward and Kara shrunk backwards. "Please just let me-"

"Please stop." Kara was crying and the tears finally halted Alex in her tracks. "Please, Alex… please. Please don't."

"Okay, okay." Alex's breath hitched in her chest. She didn't know why she felt like crying, too. "Kara, why are you crying? Please don't cry-"

"You're right." Kara blurted out through her tears. "You're right. I'm-I'm n-not of the House of Danvers. I-I shouldn't be s-sad. It's the t-truth."

"Kara…"

"I d-don't belong here. I d-don't belong anywhere now." Kara said through her tears. "H-How I am… it's not a-appropriate. I can't… everything's too h-hard. Even Kal-El doesn't k-know what to do w-with me."

Alex wanted to hold Kara and tell her everything was okay and tell her she was sorry and just a complete asshole. She wanted to do that but another few steps away from the door and Kara was able to slip past her using her super-speed and escaped.

Alex let out a mini-scream of frustration.

"Alexandra Danvers, might I speak with you?" Viox's voice hummed out.

"Are you angry at me, Viox?" Alex was more than a little anxious at having Viox mad at her. Making Kara cry and Kara not wanting to speak to her was already making Alex feel lower than dirt.

"No, Alex." Viox's voice lowered soothingly. "But my Lady is upset and I want to know how I can fix this."

"It's all my fault." Alex said miserably. "I was angry that she was trying to stop me from going out with my friends and I just… said those things. Did Kara tell you?"

"She did. Those things are true." Viox said matter-of-factly. "If my Lady was acting like her normal self, she would be able to accept what you said and process it accordingly."

"What do you mean?"

"The energy from Earth's yellow sun would be the culprit I suspect. Kryptonians are a calm, rational people. They feel emotions, but not in the same way humans do. Under Rao, Kryptonian emotions are… muted, if compared to human emotions. They feel, but not so much. Here, Lady Kara is prone to outbursts that would be unheard of on Krypton. I do not believe what you said would have affected her, if she was under Rao's light. Your logic is sound and she should have accepted that without emotion. Kara is nothing to you and you are nothing to her, according to Kryptonian society."

"So it's more a physiological thing?" Alex's mind turned to science, relieved that there was an explanation besides the fact that she was horrible. It also helped take away the sting of Viox's words, that Alex was correct and Kara and her were not in any way connected in a substantial, Kryptonian sense.

"Yes. So when her feelings are hurt, Lady Kara reacts very much like a human would. It is interesting and I am trying to gather more information on this, but Lady Kara is my only subject on this matter. Kal-El has always been on Earth so he would not be a reliable subject though I do 'keep tabs' on him, also."

"So what can I do to make her feel better, Viox?"

Viox hummed again, a sign that it was thinking hard. "I do not know, Alex. I was hoping you could tell me. I feel like watching television programs and YouTube videos are not good ways of learning about how to deal with human emotions."

Alex barked out a tired laugh, stepping forward so she could press her forehead against Viox's cool exterior.

"I have heard communication is key."

"I'm trying, but she doesn't want to talk to me."

"That is quite difficult. We cannot resolve this if she is avoiding you." Viox said. "Have you tried your human way of holding up a 'boombox', and then standing outside her window-"

"Viox, no." Alex rolled her eyes at the AI.

"You could bribe a marching band conductor to play the song 'Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You', by Frankie Valli, co-written by Bob Gaudio. Then you can sing the song to her when she is playing soccer-"

"Viox," Alex frowned. "That's… our marching band sucks. And are you… are you just taking scenarios from romantic comedies?"

"They assist me in understanding human relationships. I am quite certain that the human way of 'wooing' a romantic interest would be well received by Kara and would make her more open to having a conversation with you." Viox replied, then threw in another suggestion. "Have you tried going to 'prom'? You should invite her. She would enjoy the choreographed dance. The artist 'Usher' could 'DJ' at this dance."

"That's not real life, Viox." A smile pulled at the corners of Alex's lips. "You're just pulling my leg, aren't you?"

"I do not have hands or arms to do so, Alex. And what would that accomplish?"

Alex narrowed her eyes at the spacepod. " _You're doing this on purpose._ "

" _What am I doing on purpose?_ " Viox asked innocently.

"Viox." Alex chuckled. "But… I think I have an idea."

"Please elaborate." Viox sounded excited also.

"I'm going to order pizza and have a night in, just the two of us." Alex said excitedly. There was a long silence before Viox spoke.

"That is not exciting. Your gesture, to be 'frank', 'sucks'."

"No, she'll love it." Alex argued. She hurried to the door, but then came back quickly to give Viox an awkward pat on it's hull. "Thanks, Viox. I'll fix this."

"I have the utmost faith in you, Alexandra. But this 'date', if one can call it that, 'sucks'."

"This isn't a date and now I *know* you're really doing it on purpose."

Alex hurried back to the house, quickly making plans in her head. All she had to do was get her parents to go out and then she could lure Kara out with food! And it seemed like things were working in her favour as she found her parents coming up the stairs from the basement.

"We have to go to work, something urgent came up." Jeremiah was already handing Alex a couple of bills from his wallet. "Hold down the fort, Alex? Grab some food, me and your mom won't be home for dinner."

"Kara?" Eliza was calling up the stairs and the blonde appeared at the top of the stairs, sad blue eyes darting to Alex briefly, making Alex feel like she had just been punched in the guts. Then those eyes moved away from her and Kara kept her gaze on Eliza.

"Yes, Eliza?"

"We're going out. Alex will get something to eat for the both of you."

"I don't need to eat." Kara replied. Before Eliza could reply, the blonde had disappeared back into her room again. The parents sighed and looked over at Alex, who winced under their gaze.

"Alright, honey. Call us if you need anything, okay?" Jeremiah hugged his daughter, using the proximity to whisper in her ear. "Try to talk it out, okay?"

"Yeah, dad."

Eliza kissed her daughter on the forehead and the two were gone. The house was completely quiet and Alex, screwing up her courage, made her way up the stairs to Kara's room.

"Kara?"

There was no reply on the other side of the door, so Alex tried again, hoping that Kara was listening.

"Kara, I'm going to order some food now."

There was silence on the other side of the door and Alex was about to turn around to leave when Kara called out.

"I'm not hungry."

"I'm ordering pizza. You love pizza-"

"I'm not hungry." Kara repeated. Alex stared at the door, feeling just a little bit hopeless. She continued staring at the door for a few more seconds, then her mouth firmed into a determined line.

Alex was, if nothing else, tenacious.

The eldest Danvers girl stomped down the stairs, dialing the number for the pizza place in town, and placed her order quickly. She called 'So Good' restaurant right after.

"Hello, So Good!" Sharon answered the phone.

"Hey, it's Alex."

"Alex!" Sharon sounded happy to hear from her science club friend. "What's up? This is the restaurant number, why didn't you call my cell?"

"Oh, sorry, Sharon, I'm just ordering food."

"Oh, I see how it is." Sharon chuckled, not offended. "What can I get you?"

"Well, last time Kara came to your house, she said you guys had um, potstickers or something? She really liked those." Alex lowered her voice, hoping that Kara couldn't hear her and that she could surprise the younger girl.

"Oh, yeah, sure, I can put in a couple of orders for you? Anything else?"

"Is there anything else she liked?"

Sharon helped her pick a couple more dishes and Alex confirmed the order before she hung up. While she set up the TV and got the movie ready, she went to the kitchen and brought out the small popcorn machine that the Danvers family had used only maybe a couple of times since they got it. Alex also found a couple of packets of corn and placed them on the counter, too. It didn't take long for the pizza to get there and for Sharon's mom to show up at the door after that, with the Chinese take-out.

"Alex!" Mrs. Pan always seemed really happy to see Alex. Sharon had explained to the other girl that her mother liked Alex because she was a good influence.

"Hi, Mrs. Pan. How are you?" Alex greeted politely, quickly taking the take-out bags from Sharon's mom. They were the only Chinese restaurant in town and the whole family worked at the restaurant together.

"Good, good! Very busy!" The woman replied cheerfully. "Where is Kara?"

"Oh, she's upstairs-"

"Oh, she's probably busy doing homework, don't bother her!" Mrs. Pan nodded happily. "You two, such good girls. I have to go before my husband asks why I go and take so long. You're such a good girl!"

"Oh, uh, bye Mrs. Pan."

Mrs. Pan waved again before getting into her car and leaving. Alex went back inside with the food and set everything on the coffee table, feeling a bit more optimistic about this whole thing.

"Alright." Alex said aloud, just to psych herself up. All she needed now was Kara.

"I'm not hungry." was Kara's reply when Alex knocked on her door again.

"But Kara, I got pizza. And I also ordered Chinese food." Alex knew maybe she was treating Kara like she was simple, but Alex was just hoping that this would work. There was almost a full minute of silence before Kara answered.

"I… I'm. I'm not hungry."

Alex huffed out a frustrated breath of air. Kara obviously wanted to eat, but Alex was definitely the problem. The older girl wilted a bit at the thought, but straightened up imperiously. Alex was nothing, if not tenacious. And she was not going to give up and she was going to FIX THIS. And from her many sessions with Viox, she understood that Kryptonian society functioned with a high amount of ceremony and rituals that were taken super seriously.

"Kara. I am cordially inviting you to a human… ritual. I've prepared the ceremonial food and drinks. If you don't come out and eat, you'll be offending me." Alex lied through her teeth. "And… that's… shameful. For me. And you."

There was silence on the other side of the door. Just when Alex was going to try to figure out another way to get Kara to join her for dinner, the door opened and the blonde stood there nervously.

"What… what kind of ritual?" Kara asked quietly. Alex grinned at Kara and took the young Kryptonian's hand in hers and tugged her along. Kara followed easily, her eyes trained on their entwined fingers.

"It's the… uh... ritual of family." Alex glanced back at Kara as they walked down the stairs. Now Kara looked at her, confusion in her eyes and the furrow of her brows. Alex remembered a time when Kara didn't even know how to make facial expressions.  
"Come, sit down. Eat."

"What is this ritual of family?" Kara sat down warily. Her eyes widened with glee at the sight of the food and finally, a tiny smile pulled up the corners of her lips. Alex grinned, happy to see that Kara was at least pleased with the food.

"It's like… a lot of tiny things." Alex picked up a slice of pizza and started eating to buy herself time to think up something and gestured for Kara to eat. The blonde did so eagerly, but tried to restrain herself to two potstickers in each hand, her eyes trained on Alex to figure out this 'ritual of family' she was talking about.

"Alex?"

"Well, we can't rush this." Alex pointed at Kara. "You stay and eat, let me get us some popcorn. You'll love it."

"But I-"

"It's part of the ritual and we can't rush it. Just… enjoy yourself." Alex lied, desperate to keep Kara here in her company. Alex fled to the kitchen preparing the popcorn by herself, but Kara's curiosity, however, overwhelmed her wariness of Alex. As Alex ripped open the bag of popcorn kernels, Kara stood at the entrance to the kitchen, watching Alex carefully.

"It makes popcorn. We've never gone to the theatres I guess, because we were always afraid of the noise level for you." Alex blathered on, completely unlike herself. But Alex was hoping if she kept talking, Kara wouldn't run away. Kara didn't leave, just kept watching warily. However, when Alex turned the popcorn machine on, the loud motorized whirring sound that suddenly filled the kitchen made Kara jump and grasp onto the kitchen doorframe, cracking it.

"It's loud." Kara commented.

Alex nodded, suddenly realizing this was a bad idea. "It's making popcorn. Just… relax, Kara. Concentrate on me."

Kara jumped again at the sound of the popping, looking to and fro frantically.

"Kara," Alex held out her hands. "Kara, don't be scared, it's just-"

But in a flash, Kara was gone, the whirlwind from Kara's exit temporarily blinding Alex. When Alex opened her eyes again, Kara was gone and she wanted to scream. She had been so close and now Kara had run away again! Alex was going to try and drag Kara back, but a whimper from under the kitchen table caught the teenager's attention.

Alex ducked her head low and could see Kara hiding underneath the kitchen table, hands pressed against her ears and rocking back and forth. Clicking the power button on the popcorn machine, Alex all but ran to Kara and slid under the table, gathering the teenage alien into her arms.

"I've got you, Kara. The popcorn-"

Kara shook her head, able to concentrate on Alex and speak. "It sounded like… just it was too much. The popcorn, it was like Krypton. I don't know, just-explosions-"

"Shh, shhh…" Alex rubbed Kara's back soothingly. "I've got you-"

"Alex," Kara had her eyes closed tight and Alex finally noticed the Kryptonian was quivering. "Please. Alex, please don't…"

"Kara, what's wrong? What am I doing?" Alex pleaded, putting some space between them so she can look Kara in the eye, encouraged by the fact that Kara wasn't catatonic like usual after too much stimuli.

"Tell me. What's wrong?"

"You're… hurting me." Kara's breath hitched, tears in her eyes.

"Kara…" Alex drew her hands back immediately. "I'm sorry. I-how's that even possible-"

"In here!" Kara pounded a fist against her own chest, the thump loud and violent. Kara hit herself again, in the centre of her chest, sobbing. "It hurts and I can't stop it! I don't know what it is and Viox says it's just my e-e-emotions, but I can't stop it!"

"Kara," Alex was speechless. She didn't know what to say.

" _Why does it hurt to be around you?!_ " Kara hissed in Kryptonian, eyes closed in pain. The hurt was unlike anything she had never felt, as different and new as the pain of losing Krypton. Different, great, but the same in how it pierced Kara so thoroughly. It was the alien nature of Earth and how it affected her. Everything was just so much… more, here on this little green and blue planet.

Suddenly reaching out, Kara grabbed onto the collar of Alex's shirt pulling the older girl in so their foreheads were pressed together. " _You're nothing to me. You're not mine, Alex. I have no-one left! Clark is my family but he's barely a Kryptonian! And you… you're not mine. We are nothing to each other. And it hurts. It hurts, Alex… I… I have nothing. I have nothing left._ "

Alex carded her fingers through Kara's hair clutching at the blonde's head and mimicking the ferociousness of Kara's hold on her.

" _I am yours and you are mine._ " Alex's words stunned Kara into opening her eyes, looking into Alex's. If Kara's eyes were the bright true blue of Earth's sky, then Alex's were the colour of the universe, Kara reckoned. Flecked with galaxies and golden suns.

" _The ritual of family is many things._ " Alex wiped away Kara's tears with the pads of her hand. Ever patient with Kara, ever steadfast. " _The ritual is food. The ritual is time together. The ritual is defending you. It is being there for you. It is caring for you. This is Earth tradition. And it… it will give you something._ "

Kara laughed, full of wonder. Alex was speaking to her in her native Kryptonian! Alex smiled at the sound, holding Kara's face carefully now.

" _On Earth, this is how we make family. It will be something for you, not to replace, never replace. But to hold on to. Yours. It's a work in progress, always. And sometimes, we will hurt each other._ " Alex licked her lips, Kryptonian clumsy on her lips, but she knew her practice with Viox had made her pronunciation near perfect and she held on to that, hoped Kara understood. " _I can't promise I won't hurt you, but I promise I will always try not to. But if I do hurt you again in the future, I will always try to make it better. Family always tries. And I will never give up on you, Kara. And I am sorry for what I said before and for hurting your feelings._ "

Alex blew out a breath in frustration, her Kryptonian still not as fluent as she would like. Kara's hand on her cheek and the tears in her eyes brought Alex back to the present.

" _How did you learn Kryptonian?_ " Kara asked breathlessly.

" _Viox was teaching me in secret. I wanted to surprise you._ " Alex said earnestly. " _I'm sorry I upset you before._ "

" _You were telling the truth._ " Kara smiled at Alex, the pain she had been feeling before subsiding. " _You are right. Krypton… Krypton is gone. But we are on Earth and we have your Earth rituals. And you are mine and I am yours. I apologize to you, my reaction before was inappropriate._ "

" _You were sad. I made you sad and you don't have to apologize to me._ " Alex hugged Kara close. " _I..._ I was a jerk. I shouldn't have said that to you."

"You're not a jerk." Their transition from basic Kryptonian to English, seamless. Kara's smile was back in full force and to Alex, it was like the sun finally coming out from the clouds. "This is just how families are, right? It's a work in progress."

"I'll work on being less of a jerk." Alex laughed.

" _Come, Alex._ " Kara crawled out from under the table and helped Alex up, too. " _Let's… not have this_ popcorn _today. Show me the ritual you have planned._ "

"Uh, _it's a part of the family ritual._ " Alex, fumbling and trying to center herself in the touch of Kara's hand in hers. Alex had made up this ritual on the spot, so she continued weaving her well-meaning fake-ritual. "Uh… It's sister night-like… a sister ritual m-mixed in with my apology. So, uh, movies or TV shows, food we like, and me and you. We just, uh, repeat this ritual. Every week. Every Friday night, if we can. It doesn't have to be this all the time, sometimes we can go out. And if we can't do this all the time, there are always other things we can do. The main thing is being together."

"I like this ritual. Especially the part about the food we like. And being together." Kara's smile brightened again, even though Alex had been certain it was already at full power. "You even ordered potstickers!"

" _Only the very best for mine._ " Alex held Kara's hand and pulled her back to the food while Kara blushed bright red. 'Mine' in Kryptonian was a word that needed special care. She would have to speak to Viox about teaching Alex that word, as possessive as it is, it came with certain… implications. As did certain things Alex had said. But right now, Kara would bask in this affirmation that only companions gave.

"I am yours and you are mine." Kara said aloud, in English. Just to be sure Alex knew those words in English, that the human wasn't mistaken in what she said.

"You are mine and I am yours." Alex's response was immediate. The two girls grinned at each other, unabashedly, then turned to the food, collecting what they wanted and retreating to opposite sides of the couch. They didn't need to be physically close to feel that bond stretch between them, the beginnings of something unbreakable.

"I'm sorry, for what I said before." Alex repeated, still feeling a bit anxious. The blonde nodded, really taking in her apology.

"It's okay, Alex. Everything is okay."

Alex held Kara's gaze for a second longer, then turned her head back to the TV, hitting the play button on the remote in her hand. Everything was going to be okay.


	13. Chapter 13

and just a big WARNING at the beginning: trigger for implied rape of a minor.

This one was kind of a rush. I know it's been super slow-burn so I'm trying to move this along as much as possible. But holy hell, this might be gearing up to be one of those long fics that I write.

* * *

"You did it!" Kara had broken through the crowd, jumping with joy and cheering loudly. It was a weird sort of wiggling jump and shout, because she was trying not to overexert herself and looked way too much like a wriggling puppy.

"Hey!" The crowd parted for Alex with her board under her arm, and the small trophy in the other hand. Even with her hair dry from the sun and sticky with salt, Alex felt glorious. "It's only third place."

"I don't understand your Earth competitions or the standards on which you judge a 'win'." Kara shrugged, her new favourite thing to do as she was getting the hang of 'human body language'. But when Kara was concentrating on body language, her speech reverted back to 'robot-Kara' as Alex liked to tease her about.

"Well, we'll work on that." Alex plucked the sunglasses off the top of Kara's head and gently put them on for Kara. "I was so nervous!"

"You did great and it was amazing!" Kara gushed. "But the mo' money you come across, the mo' problems you'll see."

Alex threw her head back and laughed, giving Kara a brief, impulsive hug.

"Alex!"

Alex turned to see her parents and friends were pushing through the crowds to get a piece of Alex, her friends surrounding her.

"WE'RE NUMBER THREE! WE'RE NUMBER THREE!" The kids hollered until Alex was doubled over laughing at her ridiculous friends.

"You did it!" Brendan raised his hand to give her a high five, smoothly transitioning to pulling her into a shoulder bump. Alex accepted the congratulations from her friends, grinning wide, but her eyes kept drifting back to Kara.

"Kara," Alex pulled the Kryptonian back to her side when it seemed everybody had finished giving Alex their well-wishes. If it weren't for her rashie, Alex was sure her back would be red from the enthusiastic back slapping.

"Alright, no matter what, let's go celebrate!" Jeremiah cheered enthusiastically. "Who wants ice cream?"

The kids all kind of exchanged looks with one another while Alex kinda winced at how dorky her dad was.

"Well, we were going to go hang out at McDonald's or something after…" Brendan hedged, looking over at Alex. "You know… just us kids."

"Can I come, too?" Kara pushed her sunglasses back up again, eagerly looking up at Alex. Nobody could see, but Alex could definitely see the pointed looks Rebecca was throwing at Alex, out of the corner of her eyes. And she was sure Kara could see it, too.

"Well, it is a thing for the surfing crew," Alex said regretfully. She hugged Kara close though, grinning down at Kara. "But how about we go grab ice cream first?"

Kara nodded eagerly, not at all put out that she wasn't being included. There were rarely lines drawn in Kryptonian society, someone who would be considered a 'child' on Earth would not be considered so on Krypton so everyone could lean in and have their say. However, certain groups might not have been open to people who have not trained to be part of those groups, like the military, the various branches of the science guild, or the judiciary to name a few of the groups. Which didn't mean you didn't get a say but Kara understood roles and Alex was an athlete of surfing, something she herself was not.

Well, rationally the blonde understood that. But Kara, still smiling, still felt a bit left out. She didn't know why she felt that way, either, not when she already would get to have ice cream AND time with Alex before. She held Alex a bit closer and glanced over at Rebecca who seemed to be staring at the Danvers girls with something akin to… longing.

"We all gotta go get changed first, anyways." Brendan seemed to make the decision for the rest of the teenagers hanging around. They all nodded, the children, still children, either came on their bikes, or their parents had come to get them.

"Hey, Becs!" As the kids were dispersing and Jeremiah was complaining loudly to Eliza about how he was still 'cool', Kara could see Rebecca freeze at the sound of a voice calling out for her.

Kara could hear a heartbeat suddenly double-triple time, and she looked from the approaching man to Rebecca.

"Hey, Connor! What are you doing here?" Rebecca greeted, smiling. The man-who seemed a bit younger than Jeremiah-came over and slung an arm around Rebecca's shoulders, pulling her into a hug and a quick kiss to the forehead. This was something Kara had seen time and time again, with kids, especially Rebecca's age, grudgingly accepting these displays of affection from their parents or relatives. Kara tilted her head to the side, paying close attention the Rebecca's body language. It seemed… weird.

"Came to get you, sweetheart! Your mom is working late tonight and I'm working from home today." Connor was wearing sunglasses that matched his outfit of a short-sleeved linen shirt with chino shorts, and a pair of boat shoes to match. Kara could see how, for a man his age, he may be considered attractive.

"Hi," Connor held out a hand to Jeremiah and then to Eliza. "I'm Connor."

"Nice to meet you, Connor." Eliza smiled. "You're Rebecca's father?"

Usually Eliza had more tact but she was still a mother so she wanted to be sure.

"Oh, no, I'm the boyfriend. Of her mother." Connor explained grinning. Eliza glanced over at Rebecca and seemed to relax a little bit at how nonplussed the teenager looked under this man's arm.

"Ok, the kids are all going back home first to change and then their going out again." Jeremiah informed Connor.

"Well, I came on my bike, I can just bike back-"

"Nonsense." Connor scoffed. "I can toss your bike in the back of my SUV."

Kara was still staring at Rebecca and flinched when the other girl noticed.

"What?" Rebecca asked, a little bit hostile but trying not to seem too hostile in front of the adults. Kara just tucked herself closer to Alex and looked up at the older girl furtively.

"What?" Alex repeated the question as the adults made small-talk about the surfing competition.

"Invite her to come eat ice cream with us." Kara whispered frantically up to her sister.

"What?" Alex frowned down at Kara, but at her puppy-dog eyes that Kara had recently perfected, Alex sighed and proceeded to do as asked.

"Hey, Rebecca, wanna come have ice cream with us?" Alex said loudly as Kara clung onto her arm.

"Yes!" Rebecca immediately replied. "Yes, I'd love to!"

"But it looks like a family affair," Connor rubbed his chin. "Come on, Becs, let's not bother these nice people. I got ice cream at home for you and you can change, and then head out with your friends."

Kara tightening her fingers around Alex's arm made the brunette wince a bit, but she got the hint.

"No, it's fine. It's fine, right, mom? Dad?" Alex looked over at her parents. Jeremiah glanced over at Kara who was nodding her head furiously and looked like she was about to nod her head off.

"Of course it's fine." Eliza quickly gave permission. Connor was looking at them with a tight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Alright then. You girls have a good time." Connor seemed reluctant to go. "I'll grab your bike and bring it home first."

"Alright, thanks!" Rebecca got the keys out and handed it over to Connor, getting another quick hug and kiss on the forehead from the older man.

"I'll see you in a bit!"

Rebecca smiled and waved good-bye. "See ya!"

As soon as Connor was far enough away and they were all heading to the Danvers family car, Rebecca, who had been walking a bit behind with Alex, bumped Alex's shoulder gently with her own.

"What?" Alex smirked over at Rebecca and bumped her back, still on a high from her win.

"Nothing." Rebecca looped an arm in Alex's, her eyes on the other girl. She didn't notice Kara with her head slightly turned, watching her from the corner of her eye and taking a surreptitious sniff.

They stopped off at the public showers, then changed in the small stalls set up on the beach for that reason. Rebecca had to wait a bit to change so Alex was out first, gravitating to Kara's side.

"Alex," Kara looked up at Alex solemnly. "Something is wrong with Rebecca."

Alex frowned. "What?"

"I smelled her-"

"What did I tell you about smelling people-"

"Hey!" Rebecca was out of the stalls, even managing a smile in Kara's direction. "I'm done!"

"Alright, come on." Alex took off towards where her parents were parked, the couple having taken Alex's board to strap it to the top of their car.

"Alex," Kara huffed, running beside Alex, easily outpacing Rebecca.

"Kara." Alex copied the blonde's tone of voice. "We'll talk about this later, ok?"

Kara nodded, frowning. Alex tried to clarify, slowing down so she could talk without panting.

"Let's just have some time to settle down with some ice cream, and then we can talk."

"Hey!" Rebecca huffed, finally catching up. "Speedy McSpeedy One and Two, could you please slow down?"

"... My name is Kara." Kara was confused. "And that's Alex."

"Why are you such a loser?" Rebecca huffed.

"Hey, be nice." Alex frowned, still wary of Rebecca, but protective of her adoptive sister. "Kara's a bit different. So what? Just give her a break."

Rebecca huffed again but gave the tiniest nod of her head. In the station wagon, Alex sat in the middle to keep a barrier between the two girls and felt a little bit like she was being pulled in two different directions. Rebecca was a bit more clingy than usual and seemed to lean in closer to Alex whenever possible. Kara, for some reason, seemed a bit confused overall with the whole situation. Alex had been worried Kara might have strong feelings about Rebecca taking up some of Alex's attention, but Kara seemed to be preoccupied with studying Rebecca throughout the whole car-ride, and more than once Alex had to quietly remind Kara not to stare at Rebecca.

When they got their ice cream and while Rebecca was busy texting their friends about where they were, Alex and Kara, who had gotten their ice cream first, slipped outside to sit on the patio.

"So can you tell me what's going on?" Alex asked between licks of her ice cream. Kara was eating her ice cream with a serious expression on her face, frowning a little bit.

"Kara?"

"Alex," Kara looked over at her sister, and Alex noticed that Kara's sunglasses again, were pushed up to rest on top of her head. Alex took the opportunity to bring them down again. "Rebecca isn't a nice person."

Alex winced, but nodded. "No. She's not."

"I've noticed that she's pretty popular at school, and that makes her strong." Kara seemed to be struggling to get her words out. "She isn't afraid of anyone."

"Okay?" Alex didn't know what Kara was getting at.

"When Eliza was outside cleaning the deck, and she found that… that centipede? And Eliza just stood there staring at it?" Kara chomped on her ice cream absentmindedly. "I know what she smelled like. And-and you said that your mom was afraid of centipedes."

Alex still didn't know what Kara was getting at but tried to listen as patiently as possible. Sometimes the Kryptonian went on little meandering rambles to get her thoughts together.

"Rebecca was scared when that man came." Kara finally blurted out. "Can you fix it?"

Kara remembered that Alex had gotten rid of the centipede for her mom, Alex had kicked it off the front porch and brought her mother a glass of water while Eliza sat, shaking and a bit sheepish at how an insect had so paralyzed her. Kara remembered the sour smell of fear, acidic and metallic at the same time, and Rebecca had smelled exactly like that when Connor had shown up.

"Could you help her? You make things better." Kara said it with such conviction, Alex was taken aback. This was a girl who could literally rip a person apart and seemed so lost and unsure about the information she had that she was now giving to Alex.

Before Alex could reply, Rebecca had exited the shop to join them on the patio with her own ice cream. "Hey, the guys are at McDonald's, but I think they all want to go back to Brendan's to play a videogame or something."

Eliza and Jeremiah had been close behind Rebecca, motioned for Alex to go on.

"Skedaddle, you!" Jeremiah made shooing motions with his hands, laughing. "Before your old man makes you look more uncool."

"Yeah, yeah." Alex got up, put a hand on Kara's shoulder and smiled. The blonde smiled back, knowing beyond a doubt that Alex would help. Alex, for the first time, suddenly realized the gravity of Kara's gaze, realized that Kara looked at her differently. The mantle of Kara's trust in her was heavy on Alex's shoulders, but she felt happy to take on that weight.

"I'll try." Alex replied.

Alex said that, but the rest of the day they just spent together with everyone and it was hard to get Rebecca alone to talk to her. Alex had tried broaching the subject to ask more about Connor, but Rebecca firmly moved the conversation away from her mother's boyfriend. Even after, when they were biking home, Rebecca sped up so Alex was mostly trying to keep up and wasn't even able to talk.

"First!" Rebecca crowed gleefully, skidding to a stop on Alex's driveway.

"Only because I'm tired from today!" Alex argued back gamely.

"Alex!" Kara was at the door waiting for them, eyes darting from Alex to Rebecca anxiously.

"Kara." Alex was all smiles again, happy to see the younger girl.

"Oh, hello Rebecca!" Eliza peeked out the front door and threw it open when she saw that Alex was back with a friend. "We're just about to start dinner. Will you be staying for dinner?"

Rebecca exchanged glances with Alex and at the Danvers girl's shrug, shrugged also.

"Yeah, if that's okay?"

"Well, I made more than enough with two growing girls and my husband to feed." Eliza laughed. "Put your bikes in the garage, wash up, and dinner will be ready!"

"You make it sound like I don't help you cook!" Jeremiah hollered from inside.

"I can help!" Kara darted back into the house, at Eliza's heel, eager to set the table. That left Alex and Rebecca alone to push their bikes into the open garage of the Danvers' house.

"You don't have to be home for dinner?" Alex asked.

Rebecca shrugged. "I'll just call and say I can't make it."

"Is it just you and your mom's boyfriend?" Alex continued on, using a casual tone of voice. "That's awkward."

Rebecca shrugged and Alex could finally see it. The tension in her shoulders, the firm line of her mouth.

"Hey," Alex leaned her bike against the wall. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

Rebecca's mouth was still set in that grim line as her movements stilled.

"Like, about anything."

Rebecca took another second before turning to Alex with a teasing smile on her face, pulling near Alex until her mouth was almost pressed against Alex's ear.

"Same goes for you, Alexandra Danvers." Rebecca sing-songed, trailing her fingertips over Alex's arm as she moved back to the house. Alex was flushed red, hoping that the tan she had gotten from being out on the water so much this summer covered up her embarrassment. She still didn't understand how Rebecca made her so flustered sometimes.

Making it back in the house, Alex smiled at Kara sitting at the dinner table already, waiting impatiently for dinner. Rebecca's phone rang before she could sit down and she glanced at the caller display before excusing herself from the table. Alex nodded but kept her eyes on Kara, who had an ear turned towards the direction Rebecca had escaped to.

"Hey," Alex called out casually. "Who was that? One of the boys?"

"No, just my house calling and wondering if I'm home for dinner." Rebecca shrugged. "But I told them I'd be eating with you."

"Alright." Alex sat down next to Rebecca in her usual seat, facing Kara. Dinner was filled with talk about the surfing competition and what Alex was going to do with her prize money and if she would continue competing. Dinner passed by relatively fast, with the family and guest migrating to the couch. After it had gotten pretty late, Jeremiah looked over at Alex pointedly before addressing the girls in general.

"It's getting pretty late now. Do you need me to drive you home, Rebecca?" Jeremiah pushed himself up from his comfy armchair.

"Oh, no Mr. Danvers. I have my bike in the garage." Rebecca checked the display on her phone. "Wow, didn't realize the time."

"Maybe you should give your mother a call, dear." Eliza suggested. "She must be worried."

"Nah," Rebecca shook her head. "She's been working late hours. Thanks for having me over!"

"Anytime." Jeremiah said immediately, though truthfully, he didn't like this friend of Alex's much because she always seemed to be a bit mean to Kara.

Goodbyes were said and Alex walked Rebecca out to the garage to get her bike. It seemed a bit weird, as Rebecca shouldered her bag, how she lingered.

"See you tomorrow?" Alex offered and couldn't seem to get a read on Rebecca.  
"Yeah." The popular girl's shoulders slumped. "Seeya."

"Rebecca." Alex tried again. "Come on, something's bothering you."

"No," Rebecca shook out her light-coloured hair. "I'm just tired. I'll see you tomorrow."

When Rebecca had pedalled away, Alex walked back to the house and almost jumped out of her skin as a shadow parted from the front porch.

"Alex."

"Jesus, Kara!" Alex had had to bite back a little shout. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry." Kara was hovering maybe an inch off the ground, that was why Alex hadn't even heard her approach. The blonde touched down, tilting her head to the side in a gesture that was very… puppy-ish.

"Rebecca is not staying?"

"She went home."

Kara frowned. "But she said she was staying here tonight. On the phone. I heard."

"No, she's not. You know the rules." There were no sleepovers at the Danvers' house just because Kara still had trouble sometimes at night and Eliza and Jeremiah didn't think it would be good to have kids over when they have an off-limits lab in the basement.

"But she said. On the phone." Kara insisted.

"Well, maybe she's going home right now."

"No." Kara stared off into the distance where Rebecca had disappeared to. It was starting to get really dark out. "She's biking to the beach."

Alex frowned at that, promptly turning on her heels, back to the garage to grab her own bike.

"Tell mom and dad I'll be right back?" Alex pushed off and pedalled away. The sound of running footsteps told her Kara was quick behind her and had sped up to run alongside her.

"Kara-"

"How will you know where she is? If I'm with you, it'll be easier to find her."

Alex couldn't argue with that logic. They travelled in mostly silence, Alex following Kara on her bike. They finally got to a part of the beach where they usually didn't go because it wasn't the best surfing conditions.

"Down by the lifeguard tower." Kara said after a quick scan of the area.

"Okay. Can you stay here?"

Kara nodded solemnly. Alex left her bike with Kara and made her way carefully down the beach until she was at the base of the lifeguard tower.

"Rebecca!"

There was no answer. So Alex made her way up the stairs until she found Rebecca tucked into a corner and watching Alex warily.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I followed you." Alex lied. "I was worried."

"You don't have to be worried."

"You're sleeping on the beach, I think I should be worried."

"Technically, sleeping in the lifeguard's tower."

"TECHNICALLY, right outside the lifeguard tower since you can't even get inside."

Rebecca scowled at Alex. The brunette replied by taking a strong stance, placing her hands on her hips and facing down Rebecca with the most intimidating look she could muster.

"Rebecca, you tell me what's going on or I'll call your mom." Alex threatened. Rebecca glared at Alex balefully until the eldest Danvers girl pulled a phone out of her back pocket and made a show of pulling up Rebecca's home number.

"No, no, don't call my house! Connor is there!" The girl lunged at Alex in a panic.

"Chill, I'm not going to actually call. But it's about him, isn't it?" Alex sighed in frustration. "Can you just tell me?"

"Well, what do you think?" Rebecca snapped, falling back on an emotion she was familiar with and lashed out with her anger. "You know why I'm avoiding him! Can you guess? I mean, I use you enough as an excuse to get out of the house and away from him when he's home! Why do you think I need to be away from him?"

"Rebecca-"

"But you're always with your stupid adopted sister!" Rebecca was shouting now, tears streaming down her face. "You're taking care of her all the time but she's FUCKING FINE. She's just fucking slow! She doesn't need you, and y-you're so strong-but you're such a fucking idiot!"

"Rebecca, Rebecca," Alex gathered Rebecca into her arms, unsure of what to do as a cold chill gripped her. "It's alright. It's going to be okay."

"I just need you to help me," Rebecca rasped, and Alex winced as the girl pounded a fist against her shoulder as she sobbed. "J-Just be there."

Alex let the other girl cry, she didn't know for how long. Just knew that her knees were hurting from kneeling down on the hard wooden floors of the lifeguard tower.

"Is he… is he touching you?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Rebecca choked out. She was shaking. Alex didn't know what to do. They had learned in phys-ed class about this, very briefly, but actually being confronted by it...

"We have to tell someone. We have to call the police-"

"No." Rebecca wiped at her face. "No, you can't. I'm serious, I would kill myself. I would rather die."

"Why?" Alex demanded. "We have to. It's the only way-"

"No. My mother-" Rebecca's face was frantic. "He has pictures of me. He has pictures of me, Alex."

Alex didn't know why she asked, why at that moment she was so damned obtuse. "What kind of pictures?"

And now, Rebecca weeps. Just sits there and weeps and weeps into Alex's shirt.


	14. Chapter 14

TRIGGER WARNING: Implied rape/sexual assault of a minor. You could totally skip this chapter if you absolutely can't take this topic and I admit, it was hard to write because I wanted to treat this topic delicately and not have this be some kind of tragedy-porn.

And just a heads up, HAVING SEX WITH A MINOR IS FUCKING RAPE. As an adult, you should always be aware that a child CANNOT consent to having sex with you. You are the adult, you have the responsibility to understand that a child CANNOT give consent. They are totally off limits.

* * *

Alex didn't like what was happening. She felt like things were spinning out of control but she had promised Rebecca that she wouldn't call the police, which Alex really thought was a bad idea. They had gone back to Alex's house together and Alex and Kara had set up the garage for Rebecca to sleep in. The Danvers kept their car parked outside during the surfing season so Alex could use it as her base of operations. It was made even easier for Rebecca to crash there when they remembered that the Danvers' old couch was stored in there, and that pulled out into a bed.

"You gonna be okay here?" Alex found a blanket that Eliza had bagged and stored away on a back shelf. Kara hovered near the door, nervously acting as a look-out.

"Yeah." Rebecca dropped her bag at the side of the couch, looking overwhelmed by everything.

"It'll be warm at night in the garage-" Her words were cut off as Rebecca walked up to Alex and hugged her tightly, briefly, before letting go and fleeing to the couch.

"Thanks." Rebecca husked. The girl, usually so much larger than life, looked so small sitting on this beat up pull-out bed. "For everything. And thanks, Kara."

"You are welcome." Kara replied softly, from the door. "Alex. We have to go. Eliza may be coming to check on us."

"Call me if you need anything." Alex brandished her phone. "And the garage door opens only by remote control and the side door can be locked from the inside… you sure you don't need anything else?"

"I'm fine." Rebecca's laughter sounded forced. "This is way more comfortable than what I'm used to."

The Danvers sisters walked back to the house, Kara's hand snaking out to hold Alex's, seeking comfort in the heat of Alex's hand and feeling disconcerted at this… possessive feeling. Humans were just more touchy. Kara had seen that it was a source of comfort, and had experienced it herself. She had a lot of self-reflection to do. But she recognized that Rebecca needed someone like Alex right now.

"Alex," Kara looked at Alex solemnly. "Please, fix this. She's so scared. And she's sad."

Alex wanted to tell Kara that she can't fix everything, and especially not something like this. She didn't know the first thing about FIXING something like this. Especially not with Rebecca swearing that she would literally kill herself if Alex told ANYONE.

The brunette wanted to say she didn't know, or that she couldn't, but what came out was, "I'll try, Kara."

Because the way Kara looked up at her with so much trust in her eyes and so much faith, it was like back to being number one in this household again. And she smiled at Kara, because even though this little alien was powerful beyond imagination, she needed Alex. And Alex found that she liked that Kara needed her.

"Did Rebecca give you back your wallet?" Eliza asked as they entered the house. Alex's mother was coming down the stairs and had been about to go out to check on the two girls.

"Oh, yeah. We caught her near the beach." Alex lied. On the beach, Eliza had called and Alex had lied and told her mom that she had put her wallet in Rebecca's bag for safe-keeping while they had been biking during the day and forgotten to retrieve it until she had left.

"Really, Alex." Eliza tsked. "You need to carry your own stuff around. Maybe carry a purse."

"I had my dry bag before. But you and dad took it home for me."

"I meant a separate bag." Eliza rolled her eyes. "One that's not carrying your wetsuit and surfing clothes."

"It's fine, my other stuff doesn't get wet because it's in a different compartment."

Eliza deliberately ignored Alex's statement. "We'll get you a nice purse."

"Mom, I can't carry a purse to surfing! That's not cool." Alex let out a frustrated growl and went up the stairs, Kara following behind with a quick 'good night' to Eliza. They prepared for bed, Alex taking a quick shower to wash the last of the sea off of her and going to bed. But she found it hard to sleep with what she knew now. A little while later, when she knew her parents had gone to bed for the night, a scratching at the door told her someone else was awake, too.

"Come in." Alex whispered, knowing Kara could hear her no matter how soft her voice was. The door opened quietly and closed, Kara's soundless entry into the room telling Alex she was floating over. The feel of Kara's weight sinking down next to her made her turn around to face the younger girl. They never slept together, since Alex liked sleeping by herself and Kara, though less unsure, was still afraid she might accidentally hurt someone. Hurting someone was a near constant fear in the back of her head. The thought of hurting Alex was especially anxiety-inducing.

"Can't sleep?" Alex asked. She reached out and gently raked her fingers through Kara's hair. The blonde hummed in affirmation, blue eyes impossibly bright in the dark of the room, glasses probably in her own room.

" _Can I stay with you tonight?_ " Kara asked, speaking Kryptonian.

Alex wordlessly pulled at the sheets until Kara moved so Alex could lift them and welcome Kara in under the blanket. The little Kryptonian snuggled closer, tucking her head under Alex's chin and curling up until her knees were just touching Alex's abdomen.

"Alex?" Kara's voice came out slightly muffled.

"Yes?" Alex had resumed stroking her fingers through Kara's hair.

" _I don't understand something. I heard some of what you two were talking about on the beach-_ "

" _How much did you hear?_ " Alex was suddenly alarmed, Rebecca's bombshell had made her forget for a second that Kara had super hearing.

" _Not much._ " Kara confessed. " _The ocean was so loud. But you said that you wanted to call the police. And… he was touching her? What happened?_ "

"Kara, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this myself." Alex sighed, switching back to English and turning onto her back so she was staring at the ceiling.

" _If she doesn't want him to touch her, he shouldn't._ " Kara insisted. " _I know humans are more physical, but maybe you should educate him on Kryptonian etiquette._ "

Alex sighed again. " _I don't know if he'll listen._ "

" _He will._ " Alex didn't have to look at Kara to know that the blonde was looking at her with trusting eyes. " _He'll understand. You told me if anything made me uncomfortable, I should tell you. Maybe he needs to know that Rebecca is uncomfortable._ "

"Kara." Alex rolled back to look at Kara. The blonde's face was bright and open and innocent. "Kara, I want you to know that Earth is… definitely not like Krypton. And you're still young, but what Connor is doing is, um, more than just touching."

"Oh." Kara blanched at the implications. "Yes. I… My mother. She sometimes brought home cases. And I overheard. I did not understand until I questioned my aunt about what I heard and she explained it to me."

"Wow. Your aunt actually did?"

Kara nodded, remembering her Aunt Astra very seriously explaining to her. It had been a Kryptonian soldier who had gone off-world. He had done unspeakable things.

"My mother also later explained the case to me, she did wish that I understood matters of our justice system..." Kara fell silent, suddenly stunned by the fact that she hadn't been sad in a while. She was still sad, but that crushing weight of losing everyone, her mother, her family, Krypton, even baby Kal-El… she hadn't felt it for a long time. On the wave of that realization came the grief, coupled with overwhelming guilt-

Kara was drawn out of her thoughts as Alex pushed the Kryptonian gently until she was turned away from the older girl, then one arm snaked around her waist and the other under Kara's neck as Alex pulled the blonde back to hold her loosely, Kara's back against Alex's front, but about an inch of distance between them.

" _Is this okay?_ " Alex questioned. " _Tell me if it's not._ "

Kara covered Alex's arms with her own, wriggling backwards a bit more so she was flush against Alex, the warmth she felt banishing Kara's melancholy immediately. It was like the satisfaction of a puzzle piece slotting in place, how safe, how taken care of she felt in Alex's embrace. The Kryptonian was overwhelmed with the traces of the ocean still on her sister, and just the all-encompassing scent of Alex. The feeling of this human sinking into her Kryptonian bones, rooting her to this alien soil.

" _How do you always know how to make me feel better? How do you know when I need to feel better?_ " Kara spoke her thoughts aloud.

Alex shrugged, tightening her hold so it was a hug. " _I just do._ "

Wrapped around each other, Kara, who always had trouble falling to sleep under Earth's yellow sun, was lulled gently to something-like-slumber by the steady thump of Alex's heart against her back. Alex, however, stayed awake, not used to having someone sleeping with her and her mind running a mile a minute with everything that had happened. It was only when the sun was lightening the sky that she managed to fall asleep for a couple of hours, pulled towards rest by the comforting heat of Kara's body. She only slept for a bit though, before Alex roused at the feel of sunlight on her face from a crack in the curtains.

Alex tried to extract herself from Kara, but the younger girl woke up groggily when Alex tried to move away from her. The blonde's fingers reflexively constricted painfully on Alex's arms and made Alex hiss in pain.

Kara released her hold on Alex immediately. " _I'm sorry-_ "

Alex's arms tightened around Kara again to show her that it was alright, holding her until Kara's shoulders relaxed.

" _I will work on my reflexive actions._ " Kara turned and squirmed until she had tucked herself under Alex's chin, taking a deep breath.

" _You're doing so much better._ "

Kara nodded agreeably, taking another deep huff again.

" _Are you smelling me again?_ " The corners of Alex's lips quirked up, despite how tired she felt, mentally and physically.

" _I'm sorry._ " Kara replied, but Alex could feel her smiling and hear her taking another deep breath.

" _I'm going to go see Rebecca._ Can you run interference?"

"Run… interference?"

"Make sure Eliza doesn't see." Alex clarified. Kara looked up at Alex and nodded seriously.

" _It will be my duty._ " Kara said seriously. It was so adorable, how earnest she looked, that Alex couldn't help reaching out to gently cup the side of Kara's face in a fond caress. Kara giggled, nuzzling into that hand happily.

"Alright. Are they awake?" Alex asked.

"Eliza and Jeremiah are both still asleep." Kara reported dutifully. "But Eliza will wake in about ten minutes."

"How do you-"

Kara fluttered her eyelashes at Alex, her blue eyes sparkling in the sun, an otherworldly, incandescent blue.

"X-ray vision." Alex answered her own question.

"And her clock always wakes her up promptly at the same time every day."

Alex rolled her eyes at Kara's smug grin and rolled out of bed quietly. She sneaked out of the room and out the back door, running to the garage and knocking on side door. Rebecca opened the door almost immediately.

"Woah. You're awake."

"Set an alarm. I know you said your dad won't come to the garage in the morning but I wanted to be up." Rebecca was dressed already. She looked awkward and unsure. "Um. I'm sorry for like, losing it on you last night. I didn't want to-I didn't need-"

"No, don't apologize. It's fine." Alex looked back towards the house, hoping that Kara was doing her job. "Wanna come in and get cleaned up?"

"Yeah, I gotta pee real bad." The proclamation lightened the mood a bit and Alex grinned at her friend and motioned for her to follow. They snuck back to the house, tip-toeing up the stairs. Rebecca slipped into the hallway bathroom just in time, as the master's bedroom door opened.

"Mom!" Alex squeaked.

"Is Kara in the bathroom?"

"Yes!" Alex nodded, hoping to god Kara got it and didn't appear. "Yes!"

"Okay…" Eliza looked at Alex strangely. "I'm going to go get breakfast ready."

Alex nodded, trying to look nonchalant until her mother had disappeared down the stairs. Then Kara poked her head out from Alex's room. "That was close!"

Rebecca cleaned up quickly, Alex slipping in so they can brush their teeth side by side. Kara kept watch at the door and waited until Rebecca and Alex had slipped into Alex's room before she used the bathroom. Rebecca then snuck out Alex's window and managed to slide herself safely off the sloped roof, then went up to the Danvers' front door to ring the doorbell.

"I got it!" Alex jumped down the stairs, a few at a time, to swing the door open.

"Hey, ready for school?" Rebecca leaned in and waved to Eliza. "Hi Dr. Danvers!"

"Hi Rebecca. Did you eat yet?"

"No, but I'm okay, I don't really eat breakfast in the morning."

It was only natural after that pronouncement for Eliza to insist that Rebecca have some breakfast. Kara was already ready at the table, having some scrambled eggs, sausages, and pancakes, having super-sped her way through her morning rituals.

"Good morning." Kara greeted mechanically. "Did you sleep well? In your own house that you came from?"

"Yes. I did." Rebecca narrowed her eyes at the blonde while Eliza looked at Kara weirdly. Alex resisted the urge to slap a hand against her own forehead in exasperation.

"Good! I'm glad you slept well. In your bed. At your house." Kara opened her mouth to say more, but caught Alex making a 'cut it out' motion behind Eliza's back. Wisely, the Kryptonian kept quiet. They ate their breakfast, Rebecca managing a couple of bites out of politeness, and kept to safe topics like Alex's surfing competition.

"We're going to bike to school, okay, mom?" Alex had finished her breakfast and watched Kara worriedly as she tried to eat faster so she could go with them. The problem was that she was eating way too fast. Superhumanly fast.

"Kara, slow down." Eliza reprimanded. The younger girl immediately stilled her movements to a turtle pace, Rebecca none the wiser as she glanced over at Kara.

"Not that slow, you goof." Alex laughed, reaching over the table to brush away some of Kara's hair and tuck it behind an ear.

"Can I go on the bicycle, too?" Kara's voice took on a begging tone, looking at Alex plaintively. "I want to come with you!"

"Kara, maybe next time?" Alex smiled apologetically. "Rebecca and I want to talk about surfing."

"It's okay, you two can talk. I just want to ride with you." Kara just liked being with Alex.

"We can go home together, okay? I just want to ask Rebecca some questions about my… technique." Alex looked at Kara desperately, willing the blonde to get it. "You know. What we were talking about. Last night."

Kara frowned. You could almost see the wheels in her head turning. When she finally got it, it was like a lightbulb turning on in her head. Her mouth opened in an 'O' and Kara nodded in understanding.

"Yes! I will leave you two alone!" Kara nodded happily. "To talk. About surfing!"

Alex shook her head, used to Kara's quirks. Any kind of subterfuge or lying still came unnaturally to the bright girl. The two older girls finished their breakfast and headed out to the garage. Halfway there, Rebecca's phone chimed. She checked the message, then wordlessly handed her phone to Alex.'

Connor had sent the teenager that message. Alex felt seriously disturbed after reading the explicit message and handed the phone back to Rebecca, wondering what she could do. The message was… disturbing. It was a mix of loving platitudes and underlying threats.

"That's messed up." Alex didn't know what else to say.

Rebecca shrugged. They were alone in the garage, and the girl took the opportunity to reach out and pull Alex closer, resting her head on Alex's shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes and Alex didn't try to disengage, even if she felt uncomfortable, and even if she knew that they would have to book it if they wanted to not be late for school.

"You're… you're the only one who knows. And you know… this whole thing. It's all my fault."

"How is this your fault?"

"I just… when he asks. I don't know. I… I don't say no." Rebecca's hand fisted Alex's shirt. "It wasn't like this when he first… first started showing up. It was nice, at the beginning, you know? He was so nice. I was excited, because he was so cool and my mom really liked him. He has a nice car, and he bought me and my mom lots of gifts. He made her happy and we would go out together. And it wasn't like, at the beginning he was… he was okay. We just hung out. Like, like he was just a regular adult."

Alex stayed silent, willed Rebecca to keep speaking.

"My mom still works a lot, you know, at the labs." Rebecca's mom was a lab technician and worked odd hours. "So it was great to have someone who could just be there. We would… we would go shopping and he would get me whatever I wanted. He'd take me out for pizza. He took a whole day and taught me how to drive. And it was normal for him to-to hug me and stuff. It's… it's what dads do, right?"

Alex kept quiet, feeling extremely uncomfortable at that question. Her dad hugged her, but Alex knew that whatever Rebecca was referring to was intrinsically different.

"And I let him. It was… it was okay. He would… he would kind of… it started off I guess… with-with his hand 'slipping' sometimes. Just like, and I didn't want to make a big deal cuz when I kinda… the first time, he kinda just brushed it off and told me it wasn't a big deal." Rebecca was struggling with getting everything out, starting and stopping. It felt like a confession, an ugly thing full of guilt and shame. And finally, Alex placed a hand on top of Rebecca's head, stilling the words that were coming out momentarily. But Rebecca seemed to draw strength from that touch.

"I let him. It was little things at first. I just thought it was something-he was always touchy-feely… and then he… things got… he just did MORE. And then, when mom wasn't home one night-I couldn't move, I was, I didn't say ANYTHING, I-"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me." Alex said quietly. "None of this is your fault, Rebecca. You have to know that. No matter what you did or didn't do, it's not your fault. You're fifteen. We're… we're just kids."

Rebecca drew away, quiet and withdrawn. Alex could see the circles under her eyes now, the tenseness of her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." Alex apologized, thinking about all the times Rebecca had come by, or asked her to hang out.

"That was the point," Rebecca laughed bitterly. "That no-one would know. I w-was handling it just fine."

Rebecca went and pressed the garage door remote on the wall, and pushed her bike out into the sun. Alex following closely behind with her own bicycle, going back in to press the garage door remote again to close the door, and running quickly and jumping over the sensor to get out of the garage.

"You staying here tonight?" Alex asked, just to fill the silence.

"No, I can go home tonight." Rebecca's lips firmed into a line, her face pale. "Mom is coming home and she has the next few days off so it's safe."

Alex couldn't imagine doing something like that. Home was supposed to be 'safe'. But home was a place that Rebecca didn't feel safe in.

"We have to tell someone."

"No, Alex. I just have to… have to avoid him without him knowing I'm avoiding him. Until I go away to university." Rebecca shuddered. "I can't. I just, let's not talk about this anymore."

"University's a long time away."

"I'll get an after school job, too." Rebecca's eyes were wild. "I could make this work."

"But-"

"It'll work." Rebecca tried for a smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "I can t-take it until then. I'm used to it. Let's just get to school? We're going to be late!"

Alex pretended not to hear the hitch in Rebecca's voice and didn't point out the obvious change in topic. Alex just closed her mouth and nodded grimly. "Let's go to school."


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry, real life catching up and the Mon-El show was really getting me down. At least Exodus had a LITTLE bit of Alex and Kara interaction with it. Also, Lena Luthor is the best!

Do me a favour all of you, and drop a tweet to the official twitter accounts of the producers and the show or better yet, WRITE AN ACTUAL LETTER to The CW to tell them that we don't wanna see more of Mon-El and hope Supergirl gets back to it's family-based roots, with a large heaping of strong females and a diverse cast.

So please. I love your kudos and comments, love them cuz they motivate me. But do me a favour and write and try to make watching Supergirl not so excruciating for all of us who love who Supergirl was. I don't even recognize her in Season 2, honestly, and I feel like I haven't seen any of the cast for a while since they've been buried in the CW's bullshit.

And my rant is done, ENJOY THE FIC!

* * *

It was funny seeing how Rebecca acted in school. It was like she was a completely different person from the one Alex had biked to school with. The other teenager still scoffed at Alex when Kara ran towards them upon seeing them at school, still rolled her eyes. Brendan was just trudging up too, greeting them cheerfully, getting a dry response from the queen bee of the school. It all seemed so normal, if it weren't for the fact that Alex could see it now. Rebecca leaning away from Brendan as he slung an arm around her shoulders in a friendly manner. How she tensed, then relaxed. But her eyes darted around, as if checking for an escape.

"Is everything okay?" Kara had found them in the mill of students and was looking up at Alex with trusting eyes, attached to Alex's side. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Um." Alex didn't know what to say. It wasn't fine, it definitely wasn't. Not by a long run. "We're working on it."

"Okay." Kara nodded, completely trusting. The first bell had just rung and all the kids were starting to head towards class.

"I'll meet you after school here?" Alex gave Kara a quick hug, couldn't help her imagination wandering a bit and shuddering. She needed to bleach her brain or something, to wash away these situations that would never… could NEVER happen to Kara if Alex had any say in it. And Kara was stronger than a locomotive; she would be able to protect herself just fine, too. But Alex still worried.

"Um, no. I have to meet with Dr. Turing today."

"Is mom coming in?"

"Eliza doesn't have to come today, it's just me."

"Alright. I'll wait for you and we can ride home together." Alex smiled, motioning for Kara to follow.

"Take my bike." Rebecca offered casually.

Alex raised an eyebrow at Rebecca's offer. "What?"

"Yeah. My mom's probably going to pick me up after school. I can always come by and pick it up later. I'll just take my lock and you can lock both our bikes together with your lock."

Kara grinned at Rebecca. "Really?"

"Yeah. Don't make this weird, god. Come on, Alex." Rebecca rolled her eyes at them. "Let's go."

"Coming," Alex pushed Kara gently in the direction of the blonde's classes, before splitting up in the hallways towards the stairs to run up to her classes. Rebecca and her had homeroom together and they sat in the back. Everyone was pulling out their books in preparation for the class. Alex, however, couldn't seem to concentrate. Not only did she not get very little sleep, but she was spinning in circles about Rebecca's revelation. And she was… she was so angry and frustrated.

"Alex. Alex!"

"What?!" Alex snapped. The entire class gasped, watching the brunette glare at their teacher. It took a few seconds for Alex to remember exactly where she was.

"Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just-"

"Alex," The homeroom teacher frowned, a bit troubled that one of his best students had just yelled at him. "Are you alright? Do you need to go take a walk?"

"Um. Yeah. Yeah, I'll be right back." Alex looked over at Rebecca, giving her friend a weak smile before leaving the class. Once out the door, her shoulders slumped and she hugged herself tight, feeling stressed out and tired, but angry and feeling like she needed to DO SOMETHING. She had to say something, tell someone. But Rebecca had told her not to.

Alex paced around the building, hoping to work off the energy she had. How could she be so tired but have so much energy? How can she help Rebecca? Alex's mind spun to the sex ed portion of their physical education class, remembering talks about pregnancy and STIs and STDs. She didn't know exactly the details of what had happened to Rebecca, but maybe they should go to the clinic some time this week, then Rebecca can get checked out-

"Alex!"

Alex ground to a halt, turning to see Kara jogging towards her eagerly. "Hey!"

"What are you doing out of class, Kara?" Alex asked impatiently. "Did you get lost again? Come on, I'll walk you back-"

"No," Kara reached out and held Alex's hand, frowning at the feel of Alex's heartbeat, thumping fast and shallow through the skin of her hands. Kara had heard Alex's heart and couldn't stay away, like Alex was calling for her. "I wanted to see you."

"Are you okay?" Alex pulled Kara close, hands reaching up immediately to try and cover Kara's ears and block the sounds of the world for her. Kara caught Alex's hands in her own firmly, cradling them close to her chest.

"I wanted to ask you that." Kara had a cute little frown marring her usually sunny expression. "You ask me if I'm okay, but I want to ask you that."

"I'm…" Alex wanted to lie. But in front of Kara, she couldn't. Even though she knew Kara was burdened with her own, huge tragedy, there she was. Holding her hands, Kara's eyes, world-weary already even though she was younger than Alex, watched her kindly. But those world-weary blue eyes were bright and hopeful and open to Alex. The older girl wondered when Kara looked at her, what did she see?

"I'm not okay." Alex's voice came out tinny and forced. "I'm… I'm so, SO angry."

"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate." Kara said solemnly. And just like that, Alex burst out laughing, the heavy feeling inside of her gone at the sunny smile Kara rewarded her with.

"See?" Kara took Alex's hands and brought them up to her face. Alex could feel the warmth from Kara's cheeks. "It'll be okay, Alex. You can help Rebecca. You're her only hope."

"Dad needs to stop letting you watch Star Wars." Alex brushed Kara's hair behind her ears so it wasn't all in front of her face anymore. Kara let go of Alex's hands, reaching up to cup her hands over Alex's ears, mimicking what Alex would do all the times the world was too much for her to handle.

"It's okay. I got you." Kara pulled Alex's head down so their foreheads were pressed together. Alex closed her eyes, breathing deep through her nose, trying to centre herself. She could do this. She could calm down.

"Girls," The two girls jumped away from each other, a bit scared that a teacher was going to think they were skipping class. Fortunately, it wasn't quite a teacher, as Dr. Turing approached with a soft smile on her face. "Shouldn't the two of you be in class?"

"Just… went for a walk." Alex shrugged.

"With your sister?" The doctor smiled at them indulgently.

"She was sad!" Kara chirped up, used to saying whatever she wanted with Dr. Turing. "I wanted to see her!"

"Oh?" Dr. Turing looked at Alex, eyes sharp. "And why are you sad?"

"It's nothing." Alex chin jutted out stubbornly. Dr. Turing watched her for a couple of seconds, then sighed, knowing that Alex wasn't going to just blurt out whatever was bothering her.

"Okay, why don't we all go back to class and I'll pretend I didn't see either of you." Dr. Turing crossed her arms, a smile still on her face. "I'll see you later today, Kara. You have an appointment."

"Yes! I didn't forget!" Kara bobbed her head enthusiastically, then turned to Alex with her arms open. A bit embarrassed, Alex rolled her eyes but gave the blonde a quick hug. Her parents were trying to get Kara to show appropriate levels of public displays of affection. This was appropriate, but Alex didn't do hugging. Or that's what she told everyone.

"Go back to class." Alex muttered, knocking her head gently against Kara's.

"Okay. You're okay?"

Alex smiled and nodded. She did feel a little bit better and she didn't want Kara to worry. With another apology to the teacher, the two split up and headed back to their classes.

The day passed by without many more incidents, and Alex was just so relieved that the day would be done and Rebecca's mom would be there to get her friend and they could go home. Rebecca would be safe for a day, had told Alex that Connor didn't live with them, and he had rented one of those apartments in town that was for vacationers looking for semi-long to long-term rentals. Midvale was a coastal town and got a healthy amount of tourists.

But still, Alex worried. She sat close to Rebecca during lunch and was attached to her side whenever she could be. Rebecca neither said anything to discourage it or encourage it, but leaned against Alex whenever she could.

When the school day was over, Alex watched Rebecca go, safely tucked under her mother's arm, Connor nowhere in sight. It was going to be a girl's night, Rebecca had explained to Alex as they left the school. Just her and her mom for tonight, and possibly the next few days because Connor had to actually travel for work. Alex was grateful for that news, for her friend.

Since she had to wait for Kara, she went back into the school to the guidance counsellor's room. She can hear Kara talking a mile a minute inside one of the small offices, and through the glass, could see Dr. Turing smiling indulgently and asking soft questions. Alex watched, knowing exactly when Kara noticed she was nearby when she perked up and turned to look for Alex. Seeing her through the window of the door, she waved gleefully. Dr. Turing said something which pulled Kara back into their conversation and Alex found a seat in the office to wait for Kara to be finished.

Alex read a couple of magazines on the table, waiting about a half hour before the door opened and there was an exuberant Kryptonian almost quivering with excitement in front of her.

"Alex! You're here!" Kara held out a hand and Alex took it with a wry smile. Kara squeezed her hand softly, eyes bright and calming at the feel of Alex's hand in hers.

"That's it for this week, Kara." Dr. Turing was standing there politely, watching them. "Remember to give that letter to your mother and remind her that she and the other Dr. Danvers has to come to the next session."

"Yes, Dr. Turing." Kara replied obediently.

Alex squeezed Kara's hand to get her attention, the blonde's eyes alighting on Alex attentively.

Kara, could I talk to Dr. Turing alone for a sec?"

"Sure!" Kara agreed readily. Dr. Turing tilted her head to the side, quiet, but curious as to why the elder Danvers wanted to talk to her.

"Wait outside at the front of the school for me?" Alex squeezed Kara's hand one more time before letting go. "Make sure our bikes are still there?"

Kara nodded and was off like a shot.

"Do you want to come into my office and take a seat, Alex?" Dr. Turing asked.

"Yeah." Alex shuffled into the room. When Alex was sure Kara had gone far enough, she looked down at her hands, heart thrumming in her ears.

"Alex, is there something you want to tell me?"

"I don't know what to do." Alex blurts out. "But, it's my friend."

"Alright. I'm listening." Dr. Turing sat back in her chair and smiled encouragingly at Alex to show that she was concentrated solely on her.

"She's in trouble." Alex frowned. "But I'm afraid for her. She told me to keep it a secret. That it'll get worse for her if people know. What if telling won't protect her and it hurts her more?"

"And if you don't, she's still exactly where she is." Dr. Turing rolled her shoulders, eyes trained on Alex's face. "Is she in physical danger?"

Alex shrugged jerkily, nodding her head.

"What are you going to do?"

"I think," Alex pursed her lips, a nervous frown on her face. "I think I want to tell you. I want to help her and I think this is the best way."

Dr. Turing nodded wordlessly and Alex tried, as best as she could, to say what she knew was happening. Dr. Turing listened attentively, letting Alex speak and didn't interrupt even when Alex was struggling to get out what she knew.

"Alright, Alex. You did very good, okay?" Dr. Turing said kindly. "I'm going to have to report this. Will you be at home later?"

"Yes. But-but what if… what if Rebecca denies it?" Alex thought back to the pictures, videos, maybe… thought of what Rebecca would say.

"Well," Dr. Turing frowned. "We'll see when we get to that point, okay? But don't worry, Alex. You did the right thing."

Alex felt a bit of dread in the pit of her stomach. A couple more minutes of talking to Dr. Turing and she was out the door, promising that she would be home and if needed, they could call and find her there.

Alex trudged outside to see Kara sitting on the steps of the school, looking up at the birds flitting around with the same kind of awe she had when she saw any kind of animal.

"Kara," Alex's soft call made the blonde startle, but she turned, smiling widely at Alex.

"Alex!" Kara was up and stood in front of Alex, stopping short. Alex pulled Kara in, hugging her close.

"You took a long time. Did you fix it?"

Alex hugged Kara tight, her mind racing as she formed a half-baked plan in her head.

"I will. But I'll need your help, Kara." Alex pushed back to look at Kara. Bright, pure Kara, who nodded.

"I want to help. How can I help?"

"Alright. Come with me."

Alex unlocked the bikes and lead the way, pumping her legs furiously as she biked towards town, knowing exactly which she needed to go, to the idyllic row of rentals that Rebecca had mentioned off-hand, where her abuser stayed. She biked into the copse of trees, Kara following closely behind her. They let the bikes fall where they will and Alex hid behind a tree facing the properties. She needed to get proof. She knew that she was breaking Rebecca's trust in the worst way, but what was happening to Rebecca, it wouldn't end if they kept it a secret.

"Kara, I need you to use your powers."

Kara was alarmed. "Jeremiah said never to use my powers-"

"I need you, for me to be able to help Rebecca. Will you help me?" Alex asked, hoping that Kara would agree. The younger girl furrowed her brow and thought a bit, but nodded. She was still frowning, but willing to trust Alex.

"I need you to look across the street and figure out which room is Connor's. That man that was at the beach. The one that-"

"Scared Rebecca." Kara nodded, suddenly looking one hundred percent focused.

"Can you do it?" Alex's heart was hammering in her chest. Kara took off her glasses and handed them to Alex, and Alex felt like someone had punched her in the gut, suddenly remembering how blue Kara's eyes were. How otherworldly. Suddenly remembered that she stood in front of Superman's cousin.

"I can."

"There." Alex pointed at the row of picturesque townhouses. They were two-storied good looking buildings, split into two apartments, first floor apartments and second floor apartments. "Look in those buildings, Kara."

Kara didn't want to disappoint her sister, but had never had to use her powers in this way before, trying to get her x-ray vision to INTENTIONALLY work. Usually she did it unintentionally and then it would continue on and on. It was like… just focusing on something and looking THROUGH it. And through it all. She just hadn't mastered the ability to stop her vision at certain points-Alex must have sensed Kara's nervousness because her hand was on Kara's arm, grounding her. And it all came into focus as the Kryptonian blinked a couple of times, eyes darting from one house to the other, finally settling on one.

"That one." Kara pointed to the last house on the row, the second floor apartment. "He's watching a video of Rebecca. He's in the video, too."

"Alright. That was good, Kara. Now put your glasses back on." Alex hurriedly helped Kara put the glasses back on. "Okay. Was it, um, on the TV? The thing he was watching?"

"It was on the TV." Kara nodded. "But he controlled it with a little box connected to the TV with wires. He could press buttons on it, and there was a little screen attached to the side that also showed the same picture that was on the TV."

Alex had to think about that for a second before she realized what it was. "A camcorder?"

"Is that what it's called?"

"Were there tapes near it? Like… little plastic rectangles?"

Kara took off her glasses again and stared at the house at the end of the row. "Yes. And… there are… a bunch of them in a box. Hidden inside his air-conditioning unit."

"How did you even know to look there?"

Kara shrugged, blue eyes turning to Alex. "It's weird. It's… I see it like, it's just hanging there, inside the unit. So that's why it stood out."

Alex nodded. "We need to get it."

Kara was watching the house again. "He just turned off the TV. He… he just took out a tape he had in the camcorder and he… he's putting it with the rest of them in the box in the air conditioner unit."

"Alright, is he leaving-"

Kara made a face. "He's taking a magazine with him to the washroom. I think he-yes. He is going to the toilet."

"Okay, maybe he'll take as long as dad. Come on!" Alex looked both ways before running across the street, Kara close behind her. Thankfully, Connor had a window open in his bedroom.

"Fly me up." Alex wrapped her arms around Kara. The younger girl took her glasses off, placing them in her pocket and looked around, before encircling Alex's waist and floating them up. Carefully, she made sure Alex was inside first before slipping in with her.

"Tell me when he's coming out." Alex was looking around the room, looking for the air conditioner unit Kara had been talking about.

"In the living room." Kara whispered. Alex darted off into the living room, quickly spotting the air conditioner unit. She examined it and as quietly as she could, she used her fingernails to get in the spaces at the edges of the air conditioner, prying off the plastic face of the unit.

Alex glanced over at Kara who gave her a thumbs up, her eyes still in the direction of the washroom, a grimace on her face. Seeing that she was still in the clear, Alex quickly grabbed the little cardboard box hidden inside, placing it down on the ground, then picking up the face of the unit to put it back. Alex lined the plastic face back in place then pressed down firmly on it, wincing as a loud snap signified that she had put it back in place.

"Alex!" Kara's frantic whisper had Alex grabbing the box, holding it tightly, as Kara hugged Alex close and zoomed out of the room, out the window, and upwards and over so they were laying flat on the roof. They stayed silent, hearing the washroom door opening beneath them and both held their breaths.

"Kara…" Alex whispered, after waiting what seemed like hours.

"It's… he's back in the washroom." Kara pulled a face again. "I think he thinks it's the wind. From our escape. One of his picture frames fell down."

"Alright. Can we go down now?" Kara grabbed a hold of her sister and they slowly floated back down to the ground. From there, they rushed back across the street to their bikes, where they were hidden in the copse of trees.

Kara crowded closer to Alex, blinking at the box curiously. "What's in the box, Alex?"

Alex opened the box carefully, retracting her hand into her sweatshirt so she could use the cuff of her sweatshirt to take a cassette tape out. She was nauseated when she saw 'Rebecca' written in messily on the label. Alex put the tape back in, then out of curiosity, removed another tape. This one was labeled 'Janice'.

Kara read the name aloud over her shoulder. "Janice."

Alex felt sick. She put that tape back and removed another one.

"Salomé."

"Chantelle."

Alex had seen enough. She closed the box.

"We're gonna go back to school and give this to Dr. Turing. She'll know what to do with this."

Alex got on her bike and was leading the way again as they pedalled back to the school. Alex was thirsty. She wanted to get a drink but the cargo in her backpack spurred her on. She needed Dr. Turing to have this. Alex screeched to a stop, however, upon seeing two police cars parked at the front of the school.

"The… the peace officers are talking to Dr. Turing… and… the principal and the vice-principal, I think." Kara said in a rush, squinting over her glasses to look into the school. Alex unzipped her backpack, taking out the box, and a notebook and sharpie. She didn't know what would happen if the police found out she had basically stolen this box from Connor's place, so she would rather not be caught with it. Hastily, she scribbled out simply in big bold letters, "CHILD ABUSE EVIDENCE".

"Alex!" Kara hisses, her eyes on the school. One of the officers was on the move!

"I got it." Alex used the cuff of her sweatshirt to try to open the door, which was unlocked and opened easily for her. Giving the box a quick rub down with the sleeve of her sweater, she put the box on the driver's seat and pinned the note underneath it, then closed the door and ran for it. Not a moment too soon as Kara grabbed her, their bikes, and zipped around the building. The flying almost gave Alex whiplash. Almost. Almost, but Kara was always careful, always knew the score with her flying. She might not be able to feel the g-force, the sudden stops, the drops, the speeds, and the winds… but Alex did, and Kara will never let herself forget.

Kara still needed to check, though, hand flitting to Alex's face, trailing them gently through the older girl's hair. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kara." Alex sounded impatient, but she took Kara's hand in hers and laced their fingers together while peering around the corner of the building. Alex wanted to jump in the air for joy when the police officer went to the car she had put the box in, stopped, and picked up the box and the piece of paper in the car. She could see the police officer opening it, taking a tape out to look at it then quickly replacing it in the box, holding the note and box in hand and sprinting back into the building.

"You did it, Alex!" Kara whispered, her eyes tracking the officer running inside. She could see everyone's reaction to the evidence, could hear the calls starting to be made. "You did it! This will help, won't it? You helped Rebecca!"

Alex shook her head, feeling giddy with joy as she hugged the Kryptonian. "No, WE did it, Kara! We both helped. And you're able to control your powers! You did it!"

Kara froze, thinking back to how she had totally been able to control her powers. She had deliberately used them and was able to hold herself back!

"I did. I did it!"

Alex smoothed down Kara's hair, grinning at her sister happily, not even protesting that much when Kara lifted her up in a tight bear hug, trusting Kara to know her strength and squeezing right back with all of her own strength.


	16. Chapter 16

It's been a rough couple of months. Work and life in general is messing with me and I have a cold and it's not going away. So please be warned that this chapter was reviewed under exhaustion and medication and I was finally like, FUCK IT, it's not my best but I've kept them (the readers that are still around) waiting long enough.

It feels rushed cuz I was sorta rushing lol. This fic is becoming a monster and I need to move it along and speed up the timeline a bit so there will be time jumps. And yeah, I meandered a bit because I've been just shaking my head at all the white-washing going on. And I know it's two white girls talking about racism (yes, I know one is an alien but she is white), but I wanted to bring it up.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to say that the CW is fucking racist. I fucking hate Mon-El and James Olsen, damn, they did him wrong. It was racist as fuck. And their side-lining of almost all relationships to hold up romantic relationships on a pedestal is fucking disgusting.

Also, the CW isn't even doing the romantic relationships right.

Okay. I'm done. Enjoy!

* * *

Rebecca disappeared. Nobody saw her at all, even though rumours went around, nobody really knew what had happened. She was gone. Her locker had been cleaned out, her social media sites went dark and her phone was disconnected. Alex biked by Rebecca's place but when she knocked on the door and rang the doorbell, nobody came to answer the door. There were rumours floating around, of course, of the police being involved, that Rebecca had done something bad and she had to be transferred…

Alex and Kara said nothing. They both wanted to know what had happened, but nobody told them anything. Alex had been interviewed after school by a plainclothes police officer, with her parents hovering anxiously, and had asked her what had happened. She gave her side of the story, but the officer had said they probably wouldn't need Alex to do anything, they just needed her statement. The police and the school had been mum on the whole issue, saying it was under investigation so nobody said anything. Alex had asked Dr. Turing one day, and the doctor had very quietly told her that all she needed to know was that Rebecca would be okay, that she was safe now.

Kara had done one better and said she had overheard Dr. Turing speaking with the principal and that Connor had been arrested and Rebecca was cooperating with the police. Alex was happy that at least Rebecca was safe, but she felt like she had betrayed Rebecca's trust. And maybe Rebecca hated Alex for it, that Rebecca knew it was Alex who told.

It was sad in a way. Things continued on as normal, settling down until Rebecca's name was only mentioned in passing. People had been envious of her, scared of her. Rebecca had been popular but hadn't been well-liked.

Alex had liked Rebecca. They had been friends, of sorts. And Alex remembered how Rebecca had looked at her, that night on the beach, crouched in a corner of a lifeguard tower.

But life went on. Alex would have to say that her closest friend was Brendan now, and she got a fair amount of teasing about the two of them dating, but they both were happy to just hang out with each other. Whatever it was that she thought she had felt for him was just replaced by an overall fondness for the young man. She thought about Rebecca less and less, and when Alex did think about Rebecca, Alex tried to keep the thoughts short, tried not to let them take her.

Kara, meanwhile, seemed to blossom. Running their little mission, grabbing those videotapes and giving them to the police had seemed to change Kara. She was brighter, faster, more sure of herself. Kara was still clumsy and sometimes had accidents where she broke things unintentionally, but those times were far and few in between. Kara shone with this new confidence.

The school year sped past in a blur of projects, school assignments, and Kara. Always Kara. Kara was no longer that awkward girl, the 'special' kid in class. People of course still whispered about her being 'quirks' at times when she did something weird, but it seemed like everybody was finally seeing, at least a little bit, of who Alex saw. Who Kara really was. And even though Alex really liked that, there was a tiny part of her that was afraid. Afraid that as people started seeing Kara for who she really was, as they became friends with the sunny blonde, there would be less room for Alex in Kara's life. That there would be less room for Alex altogether.

All the emotions roiling through Alex made her feelings for Kara complicated sometimes. Like when the teacher advisor for the Science Club had approached Alex about recruiting Kara into the club and continued to do so even though Kara was not interested, and Alex had said she wasn't interested. Or when suddenly all eyes drifted towards the young blonde laughing in the hallway. When some of the boys in Alex's grade made sly, or what they thought was sly, remarks about her sister. Remarks that caused Alex to punch first, consequences be damned.

What did Alex feel? She tried to tamp down her less charitable thoughts, the mess of bitterness, of sheer resentment at Kara for being everywhere in her life, of taking away Alex's status of being number one, being the star, of Kara now being foremost in her mind. Sometimes, Alex wondered at how strong her feelings were, when she felt like she almost hated Kara for making her feel this way.

But Alex especially hated that selfish feeling she got when someone else made Kara laugh or smile. Hated the way people were starting to notice that Kara was the sun, a shining pillar of light that tugged everyone in. Kara's awkwardness drew laughter and her strangeness made people wary of being associated with her too closely, but Alex could see, just like her, they were being pulled in by Kara's gravity.

Alex tried to focus on the feelings that didn't confuse her or make her think negative thoughts about Kara. The best way to get rid of these feelings was when Kara smiled at her. And when Kara looked at her and Alex suddenly felt complete content, trapped in Kara's gaze, and something that she was too embarrassed to name seemed to take root. Something that, despite all the resentment she felt, the jealousy, the discomfort, the anger associated with feeling so MUCH while being around Kara… all that quieted down when Kara looked at her like she was the only thing in the universe.

On top of all of these new, confusing feelings, Alex wasn't able to quite escape Kara to get a reprieve from her thoughts, when Kara had moved into Alex's room. There had been too many nights where Eliza and Jeremiah caught them up at all hours of the night and moving Kara over seemed like a good thing to do. Kara had been weird about it at first, but kind of accepted this change when Eliza and Jeremiah had both assured her it was fine and moved Kara's bed into Alex's room without any real input from Alex. Despite that, this was one thing Alex liked. She felt wanted, appreciated. Relied upon.

Kara still sought Alex out at night. Still came to her with questions and asked about things that Alex thought Kara would've gotten by now. Alex was relieved that Kara seemed to still need her. Sitting face to face on Alex's bed, in the dark, it was comforting to still have this.

"So different colour nails… the colour is removable and not a sign of infection?" Kara asked nervously. Kara had seen some girls in class who had come in with coloured nails, noticing a lot of little things now that she was able to focus in and out, able to control her powers, able to concentrate and not be overwhelmed and have to retreat into Alex's heartbeat.

"No, it's not an infection." chuckled Alex. She took Kara's hand in her own, rubbing the tops of Kara's nails. Alex found herself more and more fascinated with Kara's… well, it sounds weird, but Kara's body. It was very much like a human's, but sometimes Alex would take a magnifying glass and examine things like Kara's fingernails. They were perfectly smooth. It looked very much like Kara's nails had been buffed and the tips of her nails had been rounded carefully, then a layer of clear polish put on top. Her parents already knew how to take care of Kara, the special tools Kara needed to cut her nails and such.

Kara seemed mammalian, but Alex, now having gradually become a more tactile person, especially with Kara, knew different. Kara's hair was different. It wasn't composed of keratin, Alex was sure. It was like, the difference between human hair and animal fur, but it wasn't fur. It was something else entirely. Just like Kara's nails. But close enough that she looked like just a normal teen girl. Touching her like this, their mutual, curious examinations, told Alex that Kara FELT different underneath Alex's inquisitive fingertips.

"Did other beings from different planets have nails, too?" Alex asked, still holding Kara's hands gently.

"No, not all, of course. Every one of us is shaped by our environments." Kara said patiently, her eyes trained on Alex's hands. When Alex touches her, she knows she is allowed to touch Alex, too. And just like how Alex was entranced with Kara, so was Kara with Alex. This was a chance to examine the species the Kryptonian would be living with.

"Were there other races on Krypton?" Alex asked, remembering how curious Kara had seemed when she first met Sharon, and then Brendan. "Is that why you asked me about Sharon and Brendan before?"

"We have, but it's not like on Earth? On Earth, it's strange to me." Kara shrugs, beaming when Alex nods approvingly at her body language. Kara was working on it. She had to not walk 'weird' as Kal El had so eloquently put it when she first arrived on Earth.

"What do you mean?"

"The idea of race? When humanity has so little difference in genetics that the idea of 'race' is laughable sometimes?" Kara tilted her head to one side. "That it's just visually, there's a difference and so the idea of race is so prevalent. That's strange to me."

Alex nodded, always acutely aware whenever she talked to Kara that she was so much smarter than Alex, so much smarter than anyone Alex will ever meet.

Ignorant of Alex's internal thoughts, Kara rambled on. "Earth is very different from other systems. Here, people of the same 'race' may be related? That there was a higher chance, an actual correlation?"

Kara's brow furrowed in thought. Alex was used to the fact that Kara sometimes asked questions that seem to have come out of nowhere or seemed entirely inappropriate, but they were such important questions to Kara, sometimes the keystone to piecing together whatever was bothering her.

"Well, you and Clark look the same. Wasn't your family, I dunno, mostly white?" Alex was a bit intrigued by this line of conversation. What was it like on Krypton?

"Some of the House of El were 'white' as you put it, but all my other cousins have different 'colour' skin. That is the norm. Was the norm." Kara pursed her lips, her eyes getting dim at the talk of Krypton, briefly, before continuing. "So I don't understand sometimes. I understand a little bit, because I had to study those issues when we went on diplomatic missions. I guess it's different because most species still rely on sexual intercourse for reproduction and we have the birthing pods. So 'race' would correlate a relationship and an assumption. But Kryptonians are not able to make an assumption like that since children are given through lottery."

"Wouldn't that be confusing?" Alex asked. "Having relatives who all looked different, even your parents?"

"Well, I'm sure that adopting a child of a different 'race' isn't so rare. It's not confusing for them, is it?" Kara asked.

"Oh. Oh, yeah." Alex felt a bit stupid. Kara continued on blithely, unaware of Alex's feelings.

"I recognize that here on Earth, there is a clear difference between people of lighter skin with people who have skin that is a different colour or they are darker. Or both. There is clearly different treatment, both overt and subconscious." Kara trailed her fingers up Alex's arms and Alex shivered at the light touch. "I have no idea how to handle this, because I realize that I also have this… privilege? I have read extensively on this, as much as I could using your 'internet'. I feel like I don't know enough. And I want to learn more because it will help me integrate better with human society."

"Maybe don't treat this like it's just a diplomacy or integration thing?"

"Learning about these things is the key to good diplomatic relationships. To integration. That is what I'm aiming for." Kara said primly and Alex could see the child of diplomats, a daughter of the House of El with all the privileges she was probably afforded. Alex could feel the weight of Kara Zor-El's name.

"It's called racism. Our history of slavery here in the US really doesn't help with our racism problem." Alex tried to explain. She didn't think she was the best person to explain to an alien about racism but she wanted Kara to know that this wasn't quite the right approach to this topic, what with the history of the US and how even in Midvale, maybe especially in mostly white Midvale, people still said things that were disgustingly racist.

Kara's face wrinkled up in disgust. "Slavery is abhorrent."

"Use smaller words." Alex reminded her.

"That's whack, yo."

Alex chuckled. "Where did you pick that up?"

"Ron Stoppable."

Kara's hands wrapped around Alex's back and pulled her in for a hug, her chin resting on Alex's shoulder. They stayed quiet for a while, until Kara cleared her throat, breaking the silence.

"Are you feeling alright, now?"

"Hm?"

"About the Rebecca thing."

Alex sighed. "Well, there's really nothing much to be done. She's gone off somewhere and nobody seems to care that much. I just hope she's okay."

"She will be, I think." Kara insisted. "And you don't think so now, but you got her out of a bad situation."

Alex wanted to say something else, wanted to tell Kara she was wrong, that she could've done MORE somehow, but all that came out was a loud yawn.

"Oh, you must be tired." Kara stood up, her body language screaming out how reluctant she was to leave Alex's side. The pout and the refusal to let go of Alex's hand was another indication.

"Do you want to stay tonight?" Alex asks, shaking her head at how ridiculously weak she was to that look. Kara had been trying different facial expressions and deliberately using them on her older sister. Some sent Alex reeling with laughter while pouts like these made Alex putty in Kara's hands.

"Really?" Since the first time Kara stayed in Alex's bed, it was like an addiction. Nights were whiled away talking about everything, meandering in their conversations about the stars and the different stories of Earth and Krypton. Kara knew she should go back to her bed, maybe go back to separate room. At least back to her own bed. It was expected on Krypton. It was proper. Only companions who wanted to scandalize their respective Houses slept together. But there was no more Krypton, and the Great Houses were no more.

There was only Kara Zor-El, Kara Danvers on Earth. There was Kal-El, Kal 'call me Clark' El. Clark Kent.

And then there was Alex who's heart beat obliterated the white noise of Earth, who gave her peace. Who let Kara cry at the thought of her surviving people in far and distant solar systems, flung out and scattered amongst the stars. Too far away to get to Kara, or for Kara to get to them before they, and her, were dead.

"Come." It had become habit for Alex to just lift the covers and let Kara snuggle in. Kara always ran hotter, which was fine since Alex always ran cold. After the first few sleepovers, Alex could sleep almost immediately. Alex also found that some nights without Kara, it was hard for her to go to sleep. Both of them let out a sigh of relief as Kara snuggled backwards into Alex's arms. Alex was already sleepy, but the light, ticklish touch of Kara's fingers running up and down her arms was keeping her awake.

"Stop." Alex grunted.

Kara laughed lightly, bending her head down to press her nose against Alex's arm, taking a deep, happy breath.

"Stop smelling." Alex squeezed Kara lightly, tucking her nose into Kara's mess of blonde hair, snuffling noisily at the back of Kara's neck. Kara laughed and bends her head forward, allowing Alex to snuffle against the ticklish skin of her neck for a few more moments. As Alex noses along the skin of her neck playfully, Kara's eyes flutter shut, her breath hitching as Alex presses closer, behind her ears. Alex's light chuckle suddenly leaves Kara a little bit breathless and she presses back, minutely, arching back, searching for… something. Whatever it was, fades, with Alex's movements getting more sluggish by the second, before she stills, breath evening out. Kara concentrates on Alex's breathing, trying to mimic the slow exhale-inhale of Alex's breathing. Trying to get herself to calm down.

What had happened? Was it an Earth thing? Kara snuggled back into Alex and the sleeping teenager unconsciously wrapped her arms tighter around Kara while mumbling nonsensically. Whatever it was dissipated at the familiar warmth and the feeling of… FULLNESS, that Alex inspired. Of her tattered heart, ripped apart by Krypton's destruction, being filled to the brim, to the point of overflowing. Of Alex holding it all together, like how she was holding Kara now.

"Alexandra Danvers." Kara said Alex's name in a near reverent whisper. The next words, she spoke in Kryptonian, trying parts of the vow for the bonded on her lips, only able to say them when Alex wouldn't be listening. " _I am Kara Zor-El, daughter of Krypton. Would you be mine? Would you let me be yours?_ "

Kara closed her eyes and concentrated on Alex's heart beat, the rush of her blood through this human body. With the sound in her ears, Kara let herself relax, let her mind slow down.

Kara and Alex had been having such an easy time since the Rebecca incident, slowly getting used to each other, of moving around each other. Jeremiah liked to joke that they were in a symbiotic relationship, which would earn him withering looks from his eldest daughter.

Everyone had been having such an easy time that they didn't know that tomorrow would change the Danvers family forever. It had been such a normal day, it was even par for the course for a boy in some of Kara's classes to take it upon himself to be a creep.

When Alex went looking for Kara after class because Kara still hadn't come to the front of the school to meet Alex, Alex hadn't been worried at all, just thought maybe Kara had been held behind now that people actually wanted to be friends with Kara.

"Where's Kara?" Brendan usually biked home with them, since they were on the way.

"Dunno. Let's go check."

Brendan nodded, bumping against Alex's shoulder playfully. "Look at you, Ms. Big Sister. All worried and stuff."

"Shut up, you goof." Alex huffed, pushing him back. He slung an arm around Alex's shoulder companionably, still grinning down at her.

Alex was only worried when she heard Sharon shouting loudly and what sounded like a few voices laughing mockingly at Kara's friend. Alex hurried along, Brendan close behind her and turned a corner to see some kid with a tight grip on Kara's sleeve, stretching out her shirt out as she tried to pull away. Sharon was there angrily yelling at the kid who currently seemed to think the whole thing was a big joke.

"Chris, you asshole, let go of her!"

"I told you, soon as she says yes to going out with me then I will." Chris turned back to face Kara, smiling, his friends shouting encouragement. "It's just a movie. Come on, it'll be fun! What do you say?"

Kara was shaking, but still managed to answer. "N-No. I just… that's not something I want to do with you."

"You have a boyfriend?" Chris casually pushed Sharon away, and the girl stumbled back, getting jostled back and forth between some of Chris' friends. They all didn't notice Alex storming up but Kara did.

"Alex!"

Chris turned around just in time for Alex to suckerpunch him across the face. Brendan barked out a laugh as Chris hit the ground, but the boy was scrabbling up almost immediately, blood gushing from his nose, snarling and launching himself at Alex, managing to get a wild swing in that knocks her across the side of her face. Brendan had jumped in now and used his bigger stature to get in Chris' way immediately, easily shoving him off with one hand, other hand on Alex's shoulder, keeping her away.

"What the hell is your problem?" Chris shouted at Alex, a hand to his bleeding nose.

"You stay the hell away from Kara!" Alex tries to push forward, ignoring the pulsing pain blooming on the side of her face.

"Alright, why don't we both calm down." Brendan keeps in between them, trying to calm both sides down.

"Fuck off, you chink!" Chris sneers at Brendan.

"HEY!" Alex shouted, enraged.

"Fuck you, asshole." Brendan said indignantly, bristling. Before it could escalate even more, Alex had stepped in front of Brendan to push her friend back and Chris' friends were holding their friend back.

"Yeah, hide behind that fucking dyke you slanty-eyed-" Before Chris could get another word out, Brendan had launched himself forward and grabbed the front of Chris' shirt, using his other hand to punch Chris, over Alex's head. In seconds, the situation had dissolved into a skirmish, with Alex trying to push the two apart and getting jostled in between the two bigger bodies. One of the guys, she couldn't tell who in the mess of limbs, grabs at her shoulder and pulls, her shirt ripping audibly. She could see it was Chris now, and he reached forward again, grabbing a handful of her hair and pulling painfully.

"Stop fighting! Let go of her!" Kara was suddenly in the middle of the fight, one hand on Brendan's chest, the other having captured both of Chris' wrists in her hand, effectively stopping the fight. It was so stunning a move, immobilizing both boys, that it was hard to wrap their brains around.

"Let go, you freak!" Chris finally moves, tries to shake Kara loose, but her grip was iron and unmovable. She tightened her grip, causing Chris to gasp out in pain and fall down on one knee.

"Kara, let him go!" Alex hissed. Kara releases him but the look in her eyes was one of sulky petulance.

"What the hell, are you some kinda-"

"She does kung-fu." Alex blurts out. "Don't get her mad, she'll kung-fu you to the moon!"

Chris' friends shifted about nervously. They didn't sign up for this. They had wanted to help Chris out with his crush on their classmate, not get into a fight. Especially a fight where it seemed like they would probably lose.

"What is going on here?" The sound of Mr. MacNeill's voice sounded from around a corner and Chris and his friends scattered quickly. Brendan grabbed Sharon by an arm and high-tailed it out of there. Alex takes a hint and drags Kara into a nearby empty classroom, hiding until Mr. MacNeill had stormed past, intent on finding the disruption.

"He's like a bloodhound! How did he even know there was trouble?" Kara asks, shaking her head. "Mr. MacNeill has like a secret power or something!"

"Kara," Alex was shaking. She had been so scared. "Kara, don't you EVER use your powers in public. Ever."

"But I stopped a fight! And nobody really could tell it was like, superpowers." Kara frowns, that petulant look on her face again. "And why shouldn't I? Superman uses his powers-"

"Superman is an adult!"

"I am technically older than him, and it doesn't matter whether he's older than me or not." Kara doesn't step down, fists clenched at her side. "I was able to do something! You taught me to control my powers! Why shouldn't I use them for good?"

"You just can't! If you do and people know, you'll be in danger!" Alex rakes her fingers through her hair in frustration, using the hair tie around her wrist to tie up her hair.

" _I'm invulnerable,_ " Kara points out, switching to Kryptonian, the words flowing out in a torrent. " _I have the exact same powers as Kal-El! I don't need to protect him anymore but I can protect you!_ "

" _I don't need you to do that! I need YOU safe!_ " Alex snaps back before storming out of the room. She could hear Kara trying to call her back, and when that didn't work, her hurried steps to follow. Brendan and Sharon were at the front of the school where their bikes were locked, both having waited for the Danvers sisters.

"You alright?" Brendan puts a calming hand on Alex's arm. Alex nods tightly before addressing Sharon.

"Are you okay?"

Sharon nods shakily. "They just kinda all crowded up and Kara was feeling uncomfortable and I know she doesn't like to be touched sometimes but I couldn't stop it-"

"It's fine. I'm fine." Kara took her friend's hand carefully and shook it, once, before dropping it. "See? I'm fine."

"You're so weird." Sharon lets out a wet kind of laugh. "Can I hug you?"

Kara looks over at Alex, still asking for approval, still looking for hints and guidance. Alex doesn't say anything and Kara makes the decision, giving Sharon a hesitant, very robotic, hug.

"I'm sorry. I'll work on it." Kara flushes, her awkward hug lasting a second.

"It's fine. You don't have to, I'm just glad you're okay." Sharon takes Kara's hand, shakes it once, and lets go. Both girls seem to find this hilarious and burst out laughing.

"Kids." Alex shakes her head and rolls her eyes, catching Brendan giving her a smirk.

"Alright, I'm going to take you to your parents' restaurant." Brendan nudges Sharon. Being the only two families of Asians in this small, white suburb, Brendan and Sharon's family had connected early and were pretty close.

"Not made of glass." Sharon scowled at Brendan.

"Yeah yeah, you big strong woman. Me, stupid boy." Brendan grinned down at Sharon. "Just let me or I'll never hear the end of it from my parents if those idiots decide to keep bothering you on the way home."

"You just want food."

"We can walk with you, too." Kara's eyes were shiny. "To the food-home. To your home."

"And now we see why you're friends with me." Sharon says jokingly.

"I'm friends with you for more than just your food!" Kara looked aghast. Did her friend truly believe that was all?

"I know, Kara. I'm joking."

"Oh."

"Alright. You'll be okay?" Brendan touches Alex's shoulder again, something Kara had noticed the first time, and frowns when she notices it a second time. She knows that's just how humans are and she'll have to learn to be more… touchy. But there was a queasy feeling at the pit of her stomach at the soft looks Brendan gives Alex.

"I'll be fine. You go on ahead." Alex gave him a thin smile, which didn't seem to convince him at all as he rolled his eyes at her.

"Alright, all of you are tough strong woman who don't want to talk about your feelings." Brendan declared dramatically. "Know that I care and I want the-ow!"

Sharon had kicked him in the shins, groaning out loud. "Why are you so embarrassing all the time?"

"What, everyone thinks I'm cool here." Brendan hops on his bike. He had bike pegs on the back and Sharon jumped on, holding tight to his shoulders. "See you two later!"

With Brendan and Sharon gone, Alex silently unlocked her bike.

"Are you mad?" Kara asked quietly. Alex doesn't reply, but doesn't move until Kara had gotten up on the back of the bike.

"Alex?" Kara's voice hitches a bit. "Alex, don't be angry at me."

"I don't need protection, Kara." Alex says tightly. She's the older sister, Alex wants to say. She is supposed to take care of Kara and Kara is making her fail at her job! Alex was no longer the only child, the star of the family. She was no longer the fastest, or the smartest, or the most beautiful. Alex was awkward limbs and sinewy body, freckled from the sun. Kara was ethereally, and effortlessly beautiful. Kara moved sometimes, like she was underwater, like she was dancing, until she remembered she was supposed to act more human. Alex bumped into the corner of her bed enough times to learn not to, but Alex still managed to trip over her bed almost weekly.

Alex was getting okay at being an older sister, at protecting Kara. Now Kara was showing that Alex couldn't even be that. And Alex was getting to like this new role.

"I know. But…" Kara leaned forward so her forehead could rest in between Alex's shoulder blades. "You can't tell me to stop. Because I can't stop."

"Protecting me?"

"Caring about you." Kara's hands tightened on Alex's shoulders, bordered on painful, but not quite yet. "I was… afraid."

The admission softened Alex.

"You don't need to protect me or be afraid for me, I'm not the alien." Alex said lightly. "I can take care of myself. Us humans bounce right back up."

"That's a lie." Kara giggles, leaning forward so she can hug Alex around the shoulders and nuzzled the side of Alex's head.

"So now you can hug properly?" Alex grinned, her eyes forward, on the road in front.

"I'm used to hugging you. Not other people." Kara snuffled at Alex's ear, almost causing Alex to lose control of the bike.

"Kara!" Alex snapped, but there wasn't really a bite to her words. "We're gonna crash if you keep doing that!"

"But you like it." Kara replies smugly. "I know you do."

Alex just shakes her head, not knowing how to reply to that, but couldn't stop the blush that was heating up her face. It didn't take them much longer to get home, and surprisingly, both Jeremiah and Eliza were home. Jeremiah met Alex at the front porch, after the girls had put away Alex's bike.

"Kids, glad you're home! We were thinking of spaghetti tonight-what happened to your face? And your shirt?" Jeremiah asked in alarm, reaching out to cup Alex's face and turn it to the side so he could take a closer look at the bruise.

"Alex, what did we say about you fighting?" Jeremiah tsked. "Come on, let's ice that sucker."

"It wasn't Alex's fault." Kara followed close behind them. "Chris was bothering me."

"Who was bothering you?" Eliza was dicing tomatoes in the kitchen and sighed when she saw her eldest daughter. "Alex… are you going to make a habit out of this?"

Alex's mouth set into a stubborn line. It wasn't her fault!

"There was this boy bothering Kara." Alex folded her arms across her chest. "He wouldn't let go of her."

"What?" Jeremiah frowned. He wrapped the bag of frozen peas he had in a tea towel and handed it over to Alex. "Do I need to call the school? Do I need to go punch this kid's father?"

"Jeremiah!"

"He just grabbed my sleeve." Kara held up an arm, showing them her stretched-out shirt. "He wouldn't let go."

"What did he want?" Eliza had paused in her dicing to give Kara her undivided attention.

"He wanted to go on a date."

"Oh." Jeremiah held out a hand to Alex. "High-five, Alex."

"Jeremiah!" Eliza snapped as Alex high-fived her father. "Don't encourage her!"

"What?" Jeremiah dodged his wife's swat. "Maybe violence is not the answer but boys shouldn't be so grabby."

"Well, boys will be boys." Eliza sighs.

"Really, mom?" Alex asks, incredulous.

"I'm not saying it excuses their behaviour but it's something that happens." Eliza went back to dicing tomatoes. "It's an unfortunate part to growing up. And we can't punch people all the time." Eliza paused in her dicing to frown a bit. "Wait. Why didn't the school call us?"

"It was an after school thing." Alex glossed over how they barely managed to escape Mr. MacNeill.

"Violence is never good, Alex, but when they're manhandling you or your sister, you do what you gotta." Jeremiah gave Alex another high-five.

"Jeremiah! Alex might have gotten hurt!"

"I can take care of myself."

"And I helped!" Kara chirped. Alex winced, as Eliza and Jeremiah zeroed in on Kara.

"Helped how?" The knife was down again and Eliza was looking at Kara with that worried expression on her face. Jeremiah had his arms folded across his chest, eyes darting from Kara to Alex.

"I got in the middle and pushed them away from each other." Kara said carefully, realizing that Eliza and Jeremiah didn't like that she got involved. "I just got in between them and-and stopped them."

"I told them she does kung-fu." Alex stepped in front of Kara, blocking her parents from looking at Kara. "It's fine, they didn't suspect anything."

"But what if they did?" Eliza wiped her hands on a dishrag, then threw it into the sink in a gesture of frustration. "Alexandra, you need to stop getting into fights, look what happens-"

"I was trying to protect her!" Alex protested, feeling tears of frustration making her eyes hot. She held the peas tightly against the side of her face, willing herself to calm down.

"It's not Alex's fault!" Kara insisted.

"Alright, let's all calm down." Jeremiah sighed. "It's no-one's fault. Let's just say that Alex, you stop getting into fights. Kara, you don't ever step into fights. Even if someone manages to punch you, it would expose you. Your face would break their hand."

" _Then they shouldn't fight with Alex. I will protect what's mine._ " Kara mutters before turning on her heel and speeding away to her room.

"No speaking Kryptonian in the house!" Eliza calls out, shaking her head, not understanding what Kara had said or noticing Alex's red face. The sheer possessiveness of the term sent a thrill through the teenager. Viox had explained the different possessive terms recently and Alex knew Kara was using the term that denoted a link that was deeper than what the English language could convey. She didn't know how to address the weight, the usage of this term with Kara, so Alex just… didn't.

Jeremiah recruited Alex into helping out with dinner so Eliza could go up to speak with Kara. Alex kept an ear out for them and heard them coming back down a half-hour later, feeling a twinge of jealousy at the hand her mom had on Kara's shoulder. Alex didn't know if it was because of the display of affection Eliza was showing Kara, or the fact that Alex hadn't been allowed to go up to check on Kara.

"Here, Alex." Kara had one of Alex's plaid shirts in her hand and held it out to Alex.

Alex nodded her thanks.

"I can help." Kara handed the shirt over and held out her hand for Alex's butterknife. Alex passed the knife over, letting Kara take over spreading garlic butter on slices of bread while she ducked out of the kitchen to change her shirt. Dinner was prepared relatively fast. Throughout dinner, Alex waited for the other shoe to fall, but it seemed like whatever Kara and Eliza had spoken about upstairs, it kep Eliza's words at bay.

"Alright, don't you have a test to study for." Jeremiah said aloud to Alex, after dinner. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, drawing her close to continue talking to her in a low voice. "Your mom is working on her dissertation, she's a bit on edge, so just don't let her get to you, ok?" In a louder voice, Jeremiah called to Kara. "Kara, help me with cleaning up?"

Kara called out an affirmative and Alex nodded, going up the stairs to hole up in her room. It didn't take long for Kara to come up.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Alex said, not looking up at Kara. The Kryptonian came over, leaning over her, scenting Alex's neck. Alex shivered. At times, Kara's alienness was so apparent, it would hit Alex like a ton of bricks. This girl that Alex called her sister sometimes, she was from the stars. Kara looked like she was cut from marble, the other-worldliness of her tempered by bangs that were getting too long, clunky glasses, and frumpy clothes. Alex didn't feel fear, just a thrill of wonder when she glimpsed the Kryptonian between the partitions of Kara's disguise.

"Well, I think you could be a bit better than just fine." Kara seemed to make a decision, going to the window and pushing it open.

"Kara-"

" _Come with me._ " Kara held out a hand to Alex. Alex shakes her head.

" _We'll get in trouble._ " Alex replied. Kara flashes Alex a mischievous smile before she ducks out the window. Alex sits there on her bed, jiggling her leg anxiously before she gets up and slips out the window after Kara.

"Wait, Kara!"

"It'll be fine." Kara replies soothingly.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Alex worries, remembering the look on her parents' faces. "You're not supposed to, Kara."

" _Come on, Alex. It'll be so much fun._ " Kara floats up in the air, holding a hand out to Alex. The half-challenging look on the blonde's face dissolves into one of soft adoration, of gentle pleading. The facial expressions Kara had been practicing was really working, because Alex could feel her resolve melt, stepping forward to take hold of Kara's hands.

Kara pulls her close, flush against her, a wild grin on her face before they were shooting up into the sky with an excited squeal. Neither of them would know that their flight will draw unwanted attention. The flight that was a cumulation of the entire day, of the fight, of Kara's feelings for Alex, of Kara wanting Alex to feel better. And Alex accepting that flight when she should've told Kara no.

And Alex just KNOWING it was her own fault. She should've discouraged Kara.

And that knowledge of what she should've done lodging, like a knife in Alex's heart, when they took her father away.


	17. Chapter 17

I'm sorry this is so late coming and I really appreciate everyone waiting so patiently. I've had a lot of shit thrown at me in real life that's eaten up all of my time, energy, and inspiration. Watching the Supergirl fandom explode at SDCC was something else, too. Wow. And after coming off of Orphan Black, it was plain awful to see how insensitive some of the SG cast were. Just night and day with how they treat their fandom.

And of course, Orphan Black is some quality shit right there and Supergirl has just decided to push the whole 'hey now, aren't YOU being a bit judge-y?' to someone disagreeing with a whitebread shitstain slave-owner. Fuck off.

Well, at least there is still fandom.

Shout outs to the Kalex writers out there still writing, I love you all. Special hello to justanexercise and floorplan who hit me up to talk on tumblr and ask me wtf I'm doing. And the random anonymous that sometimes drop by to ask me if I'm continuing.

Hat tip to the Supercorp fandom. Ouch, man. I feel it for you.

And enough of my rambling, please enjoy this new chapter. It's a bird will be updating next, hopefully.

* * *

It was quiet in the house, now. There would be the occasional comment from Eliza, and the resentful reply from Alex, but it was quiet. Since Jeremiah left, Eliza was a lot more biting, but conversation was few and far in between, and Eliza was quiet, as if she realized the person who usually kept the peace was gone.

Alex stays in her room or was usually holed up with Brendan at the library, doing homework. It was a pretty awkward atmosphere all around as the women in the house moved around each other. There were times when Alex found her mother alone in the kitchen, fixing dinner and Alex would help out quietly. As long as they didn't speak, their presence in each other's proximity was like a balm on their mutual wounds. Eliza swept in and out of Alex's space quietly, sometimes with iced tea or a glass of milk if Alex was burning the midnight oil.

Kara travelled between Eliza and Alex, wanting to try and make it better but shrinking away sometimes at the way Eliza and Alex both looked at her. Kara thought that sometimes, she would catch glimpses of something like blame in Eliza's gaze and something like grief in Alex's.

The two Danvers, in their own way, tried to make Kara feel better. Eliza overcompensates, showering Kara with affection and attention, saying in no uncertain terms that it wasn't Kara's fault what had happened. Cooks Kara her favourites, spends time with her talking about all the things Kara wonders about, but Kara still sees Eliza watching her with pained eyes.

Alex tells Kara it wasn't her fault but Alex is still too young to be able to lie well about her feelings and her sudden avoidance of Kara says everything. Alex holds herself away from Kara and the familiarity of Alex's regular, casual touches petered off to awkward pats or stiff hugs. Kara knew, could feel it in the way Alex's posture becomes ramrod straight when Kara reaches for her. But Alex would bounce back and forth between extremes, from cold to hot. Equally, there would be times when Alex would seek her out and hold her so tight, Kara felt like nothing could hurt her, that Alex's arms would keep her safe. There were times where Alex would prepare sisters' night and get new treats that Kara had never tried before. Alex would also be suddenly super attentive, and-this was something that worried Kara-would get into fights at school for Kara at the tiniest provocation.

But it would be hot and cold, hot and cold… and the biggest difference is that Kara sleeps in her own bed at night and the conversations they usually have during that dark time are replaced with silence.

Jeremiah wasn't completely gone, of course, he still called as much as he could. It was just like he had gone away for work, or for a convention that was longer than usual. That's what the Danvers family did, pretend that Jeremiah was close by, that he hadn't essentially been traded for Kara's safety. The girls didn't know much, had obeyed and not listened in on the conversation when there was knocking at the door after their flight. Kara and Alex understood the events were all connected and their flight had lead to Jeremiah packing up hastily and leaving them by the end of that week with no determined return date.

Kara knew it was her fault. She did something wrong again and this time, Jeremiah paid the price. Eliza was tight-lipped about it, only telling them that this was just a new work arrangement for Jeremiah, that this was just temporary, and this didn't have anything to do with Kara. All her assurances were met with silence. The girls knew better than to call out these blatant lies because they had realized early on that they weren't for them, but reassurance for Eliza herself.

Kal hadn't visited at all since he left her here. He called her, but he never visited. And yesterday, Kal had called to speak with Eliza, to ask if he could do anything to help Eliza, had APOLOGIZED for the inconvenience of Kara and offered to look for someone else who might be able to HANDLE Kara. Kal had talked to Kara after, quiet disapproval in his voice, reminding her about why she had to hide. Kara, when she had finished being lectured by her younger cousin, had gone to the beach looking for stones. She spent a long time, crushing fist-sized rocks into fine sand, methodically grinding the stones into nothing, wondering what other emotions she was feeling besides loss and longing.

Alex had finally come looking for her when it started getting dark, taken Kara's hand and gently brushing them off. Alex's hand in hers had loosened up that tight feeling in Kara's chest until it was just a dull ache, soothed by the steady thrum of Alex's heartbeat through the skin of their connected hands as Alex lead her home. But they broke apart when they were back at the house, the spectre of Jeremiah's absence driving them apart.

And now, Kara found herself retreating to Viox, hiding inside the comfort of Viox's familiar interior. She had spent almost two decades, protected inside Viox. It offered Kara some comfort, some insulation from the reality of loss, of blame, of survivor's guilt. She would stay in here and imagine that she was still suspended in a stasis. Kara found herself wishing she was still out there in the darkness. Or imagining how good it would've been if she had been with her world when it was destroyed.

" _What should I do, Viox?_ " Kara asks, one day, tucked safe in the egg-shaped spacepod. " _It's my fault._ "

" _We can bring him back._ " Viox suggested. " _You said that they took him because of you? We can surmise that they are probably not friendly, and therefore must be dealt with accordingly. We can mount a rescue mission._ "

" _Jeremiah went willingly. And I know what you mean by 'rescue', Viox._ " Kara rebuked Viox gently. Viox was a survival AI, and he had defensive and offensive functions, but he had always been more… action-inclined after Aunt Astra had him for a bit. " _Viox, as a proud member of the House of El, we'll exhaust all options before we resort to violence. The Earth phrase, violence begets violence might also be a warning, too, Viox._ "

" _The humans and their primitive technology?_ " Viox's voice was dripping with derision. " _Let them try. They do not even have phones with proper camera integration yet. Their medieval technology barely lasts and their communication devices power down after a quarter of a day of heavy use, on average._ "

"But _what kind of life would the Danvers have as fugitives?_ " Kara remembered fugitives that had been escaping Daxam. The group had made their way to Krypton, exhausted, harried, their faces hollowed and fearful. The youngest, whom Kara had played with while Kara's mother spoke to the older refugees, kept looking over their shoulder at the slightest noise. Kara's aunt had helped escort the refugees back to the homeworld they had been stolen from, and Kara never forgot the look in that child's many eyes as they chittered fearfully.

There was a bit of silence before Viox let out a sigh. Viox had been adopting speech patterns, emotional sounds and colloquial phrases. Kara thought that the AI was learning Earth behaviours better than she was, really.

" _What do you want to do, My Lady?_ "

" _I need to learn to really integrate into Earth society._ " Kara felt her heart get heavy. " _I need to hide my powers better so Alex and Eliza will be safe. I need to really commit to living like a human being._ "

" _… if that's what you think is best, Lady Kara._ " Viox deferred to Kara.

" _Yes._ " Kara nodded. " _I think I need to… try to be more human. No flying, especially. Definitely no flying._ "

" _But you enjoy it, my Lady._ "

" _Not if they take another person away._ " Flying had been one of the only things that made Kara feel at peace, made the pain bearable. It was odd to be able to fly, but she loved it. Kara drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. But she would give it up to keep the Danvers safe.

" _I wouldn't let them, my Lady. And Alexandra wouldn't let them either._ "

" _She's mad at me right now. I don't know what to do, Viox._ " Kara hid her face, arms wrapped around her legs and squeezing herself as hard as possible, trying to make herself smaller and smaller. It was strange how Alex could make her feel so much. " _I'm not worthy to be hers._ "

" _Well, Lady Kara, you're from the Great House of El. Of course you are worthy. Alex is one of the best Earth has to offer but she's-_ "

"She's the best of what Earth has to offer and it's me who should worry about whether or not I'm worthy of her. She's the light of my life, the apple of my eye. The cream in my coffee." Kara quoted the last movie she saw with Alex, remembering what the cartoon rabbit had said. "I'm… I'm thinking of leaving here. It may be better to leave the Danvers."

Viox's interior walls rippled in agitation.

"Maybe you're being a little bit emotional, Lady Kara. We talked about how the yellow sun affects you, beyond your enhanced strength and invulnerability."

Kara shook her head, tears starting up and Viox immediately changed tactics, trying to sooth Kara. "And where would you go? Kal-El seems to not understand what ' _El Mayarah_ ' means. I am loathe to say that maybe your cousin had made a good decision; the Danvers are best suited to taking care of you."

Viox, who spent all it's time exploring Earth's relatively new information superhighway, kept a lookout for news about Kal-El. Viox didn't make it a secret that it didn't like the son of Jor-El and pointed out quite bluntly that Kal-El had abandoned Kara. Kara was quite sure that Kal was doing this for her own good. She did her best to understand. Because Kal wouldn't just abandon her. They were family, part of the great House of El. Blood bound them all. But Kal… Kara was now, more and more, realizing that Kal didn't know what that meant in the Kryptonian sense.

"Let's not talk about Kal." Kara said miserably.

"Alright, my lady-"

Viox was interrupted by a soft knock on the outside of Viox. That side of the pod became translucent so Kara could look outside. Alex stood there, holding up a bowl, heaped full of Neapolitan ice cream. Viox opened quickly, so Kara could jump out. The young Kryptonian stumbled, glasses becoming a bit lopsided on her face at her haste in getting out.

"Kara," Alex huffed out an exasperated laughed. "Be careful."

"Yes, of course." Kara nodded eagerly, eyes on the ice cream. "Is that for me?"

"Yeah."

Kara sat down on the ground, holding out her hands eagerly. Alex sat down across from her and handed her the bowl. Kara was about to dig in, but stopped to hold out her spoon to Alex first.

"Do you want some?"

"Maybe some of the chocolate." Alex reached out to right Kara's glasses, then quickly withdrew her hands. Kara wilted a bit at the retreat of Alex's hands, but spooned out a big chunk of ice cream for Alex.

"Here!"

"I can't eat all of that." Alex chuckled, but took the spoon and started working on it, her tongue darting out to lick at the ice cream. Kara watched, pleased that Alex was happy. Alex raised an eyebrow at Kara's blatant staring.

"So you give me ice cream but you want it back?" Alex jokes.

"No, I just… I just like watching you. Enjoying." Kara stumbles over her words. "I like seeing you happy."

It seemed like it had been forever and seeing Alex smile at her, that soft, fond smile that was just for her, made Kara feel warm and tingly all the way to her toes. Alex handed the spoon back to Kara and the blonde, blushing, wolfed down a few spoonfuls of ice cream quickly, hoping the treat will give her the courage she needed.

"Woah, you can slow down." Alex laughed teasingly.

"Alex." Kara put the bowl down and stood up, hands flexing nervously.

"Kara?" Alex was looking up at Kara worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"I…" Kara had read about sweating. She didn't think she had the sweat glands necessary for sweating but understood the metaphor, now. She understood the feeling of nervousness, the shakiness. "I want to…"

"Kara." Alex had gotten to her feet, slapping at the back of her jeans to get rid of the dust that clung to them from sitting on the floor. "You don't have to apologize. It wasn't your fault."

"Oh, I'm not apologizing."

"What?"

"Uh," Kara floundered. "Not that… not that I'm not sorry. I really am. I didn't want to, I didn't know that-I just. I should've stayed with Kal-El."

The topic of Superman made the both of them wince. It was a topic they tried to skirt around, knowing that there were some things that they just couldn't talk about, some things they knew instinctively wasn't a topic they wanted to explore, especially since Viox grumbled enough about it.

"Kara," Alex sighed, taking Kara's hands in hers. "I'm sorry if… if I've been distant the past while. It's just with dad…"

Alex struggles with the words and smiles when Kara laces their fingers together and squeezes gently, trying to reassure Alex.

"Kara, you don't have to be sorry. None of this is your fault, I know that. It's just..." Alex starts, then stops a couple of times, trying to get the words out. She's so much better than before, before, when Kara wasn't here. Before, Alex kept her feelings inside, didn't verbalize them, didn't want to, didn't need to. But Kara needed explaining, needed answers. And Alex was willing to change, and learn, and give answers to Kara.

"None of this is your fault. It's just that dad's gone, and now things have changed and they're not good changes and mom's worried-" Alex clamped her lips shut at the look in Kara's eyes. "I'm not making this better, am I?"

Kara laughed wetly, not knowing how to reply.

"Should I… should I go? I feel like, if I wasn't here-" Kara asked meekly. Alex's reaction was immediate, pulling Kara in, holding her as tight as possible.

"No, no Kara. You don't have to go anywhere. None of this is your fault."

"But I can… I can survive by myself if-"

"You're mine." Alex said ferociously. "And I'm yours. Kara, you don't have to go anywhere else, you belong here with me."

" _This is like one of those classic Kryptonian Companion epics._ " Viox was swooning and ruining the moment. " _I will write one and be known throughout the space-traveling galaxy! Also, in my story, I will really emphasize the role that the non-biological beings play._ "

" _Viox,_ " Alex groaned as Kara giggled, hiding her face in the crook of Alex's neck shyly. " _You are making this really awkward. And self-insertion? Seriously?_ "

"GREATEST. EPIC. EVER." Viox insisted, in English this time.

"Girls?" Eliza's voice rang out in the yard. "Can you come in, please?"

"Oh, dinner must be ready! We'll be right back, Viox." Kara touched Viox's hull, thanking the survival pod wordlessly. The difference in light outside the shed blinded Alex for a second but when her vision cleared, her jaw dropped in shock.

"DAD?!"

Jeremiah stood there on the back porch, grinning at the two girls. Alex broke into a run, throwing herself at her dad happily like she once did when she was much smaller. Even though she was a teenager now and a lot bigger, Jeremiah caught her effortlessly, squishing her in a bear hug.

"Jeremiah!" Kara called happily, jogging over. "You're back! I am so glad!"

Jeremiah held out a hand to her, palm out, so she could press her hand against his, before she nodded and he gathered her in a hug.

"Well, I have to come home sometimes, right?" Jeremiah smiled widely. There were dark circles under his eyes, Alex suddenly realized.

"Come on, I had dinner going and I'm sure we'll have enough for you to eat, too." The girls let go of Jeremiah, and Eliza tucked herself under his arm. He kissed the side of her head fondly, eyes crinkled in pleasure. The family, all chattering, swept into the house, the two girls talking excitedly, asking where he'd been, what he had been doing, what he had seen, and Jeremiah tried to answer as much as he can.

"Could you take a look at some of my college picks?" Alex said excitedly. "I know it's still like, years away, but Brendan and I were thinking we should probably start planning stuff out now?"

Kara stayed nearby, beaming up at Jeremiah in barely contained happiness, following beside Jeremiah as closely as possible. It was wonderful how they all kept bumping into each other, crowding around Eliza in the kitchen, getting shooed away, then having dinner together where they fought for seconds of the pie Eliza had brought out for dessert. Kara had scarfed down a couple of pieces of pie and happily accepted another helping.

"Oh, that was fantastic." Jeremiah rubbed his abdomen. "I haven't had food this good in a while!"

Eliza's smile dimmed a bit, but she shook it off, leaning over to kiss her husband on the cheek.

"Are you staying with us long?" The question was one the girls had wanted to ask but both had been too afraid to.

Jeremiah smiled apologetically, looking pained. "No. No, unfortunately not."

"Oh."

A silence fell over the table.

"Oh, come on," Jeremiah smiled winningly. "I'm going to be home more often. That's something, right?"

"Yes." Eliza nodded. This would have to do.

"Now," Jeremiah folded his napkin and put it on the table. "Alex, can you help your mom out with cleaning up? I want to talk to Kara a little bit."

Alex nodded, watching Kara go out the backyard door with Jeremiah, offering a small smile when Kara glanced back to look at Alex for reassurance. Kara walked with Jeremiah all the way to the middle of the backyard, far enough away from the house that Eliza and Alex wouldn't hear them from the kitchen.

"How are you doing recently, Kara?"

Kara gave a thumbs-up. It was something she had learned to do from Sharon's dad, Mr. Pan. Jeremiah smiled and patted Kara on the shoulder, before putting both hands in his pockets.

"I have something I need from you, Kara. I need you to do something for me." Jeremiah looked up at the sky. "And… it's difficult. I'm… I need your help. But it's something only you can help me with."

Kara's eyes studied Jeremiah's face curiously, anxious to help. What did he want? He had taken her in and there wasn't much she wouldn't do to help the Danvers.

"What can I do, Jeremiah?" Kara asked solemnly.

Jeremiah looked over at the shed, his shoulders slumping. "I'm… I'm not enough."

"What do you mean?"

"They want to see more. My research and my knowledge is worth a lot, but they want more than what I have. They want alien technology." Jeremiah struggled to get the words out, trying to give as little away as possible. "They're coming for your ship."

"What?" Kara was... not understanding.

"You have to let me take your ship. This will help keep you-keep our family safe." Jeremiah seemed to become more confident as he spoke, finally looking at Kara. "I know this is the last thing you have, but it's just a ship-"

"It's not just a ship." Kara's arms were tight against her side, hands clenched into fists. "Jeremiah… I can't. You can't take Viox away-"

"All I need is the ship," Jeremiah said soothingly, hands on her shoulders now, trying to sooth her but doing the opposite with his touch. "Just the ship, Kara. Superman's told me about his ship and I expect that yours is similar. Kara, help me."

Kara walked away from Jeremiah, unsure of how to react, how she should react-how she WOULD react. Kara escaped to the shed, closing the door behind her and putting a foot against the bottom of the door to prevent Jeremiah from following her.

"Kara." Jeremiah's voice came through the door. "Kara, I'm sorry. I tried to find another way. But I came back to tell you, because they'll come for it. You have to let them take it-"

"Who are they?" Kara called back, frustrated. "Why should I let them do anything-"

"They just need an excuse." Jeremiah replied softly. "Any excuse to come down hard on all of us. Kara… Kara, please."

Kara stayed inside the shed, listening as Jeremiah stayed there on the other side for what felt like forever, then listening to him walk back to the house, heard him open and close the door. With Jeremiah gone, she turned and slumped against the door, her mind racing.

" _Lady Kara?_ " Viox's voice, in Kara's native Kryptonian, soothed her slightly. " _Are you well?_ "

" _Did you hear, Viox?_ " Kara threaded her fingers through her hair, grabbing handfuls and pulling. Just pulling and hoping that sensation would dull the emotions she was feeling. " _Viox, I cannot lose you, too._ "

Viox glowed, casting a soft light around the little shed.

" _But we know what is the best way. You don't even have to be an extremely intelligent AI, like me, to know that._ " Viox said gently. It was a survival AI. It's directive was given by Alura, a lot of it's methods programmed in him by Astra. Between the two twins, Viox had an impressive amount of patience. And it was an AI, what was time to it, anyways? Viox was thinking ahead, planning out it's movements just like it planned while in stasis in the Phantom Zone, caring for it's precious charge. Viox knew what was necessary and what was not necessary for survival. It also knew what was necessary for thriving, for growing… and Viox was just a survival pod. It's main directive, to keep Kara alive in their exodus from Krypton, to send her after her cousin, had been fulfilled. Viox's new directive, ensuring Kara's happiness, was paramount. Kara would be sad at first, but she was in good hands and Kara would be able to integrate more with a human family.

" _No, Viox-_ "

" _This option will be the easiest. I, with my great intellect, have surmised that this is the best course of action. And it will give me the ability to strike at the heart of the enemy should I need to._ " Viox's answer produced a weak laugh from Kara.

" _Mother regretted lending you to Aunt Astra for the longest time. She said Aunt Astra was a bad influence on you._ " Kara smiled tremulously at the egg-shaped pod. " _But you are perfect just the way you are, Viox._ "

Kara could hear the backyard door open and someone walking quickly to the shed. That person's heartbeat told Kara exactly who it was. Kara got up and flung the door open, Alex's one hand already reaching out to encircle Kara's waist and the other to close the door behind her.

" _Viox, you can just hide-_ " Alex started to say immediately.

" _It's already been decided. I will go because it will be best for everyone. And maybe this will help Jeremiah Danvers._ "

" _You can't. We'll-we'll run away together!_ " Alex threw out. " _We can just go! You can't do this!_ "

" _I am not a 'robot' with basic computing powers. I can do whatever I want._ " Viox scoffed. " _I was given this prime directive and accepted all that it would entail. Over time, my directive evolved, and I am very concerned with Lady Kara's happiness. That being said, I think that this is a very good place for her to stay and thrive. I am not necessary for her further survival and if taking me hostage would help, I am more than willing to go._ "

A heavy silence fell on all of them. What more was there to say? The silence was broken as Kara started humming. It was a curious sound, not quite humming, two toned in nature, the music was otherworldly. As Kara hummed, she added words, Alex struggled to make sense of them. She could tell that they were Kryptonian, but was it… a different dialect? Alex wasn't sure, but she held on to Kara as she sang and Viox glowed softly. Alex didn't understand, but for some reason, she could feel something like pride radiating from Viox.

At the end of the song, Kara stepped forward and placed a hand on Viox's hull.

" _Viox of the House of El. Until we meet again._ "

" _Lady Kara. I look forward to our next meeting._ " Viox hummed. There was a knocking on the door again, and this time, Eliza slipped in, smiling kindly at Kara.

"Kara. We'll do whatever you want. If you don't want to give up your ship, we understand." Eliza said soothingly. "We can deal with anything. I told Jeremiah-"

"No. It's fine." Kara nodded jerkily. "Viox made the decision to go and I will respect it's wishes."

"It… is it alive?" Eliza stared at the spaceship in awe, now. She had no interactions with Viox at all and the ship, for some reason, never talked to the doctors Danvers.

"As alive as you and me."

Eliza wanted to ask more questions but shook herself out of it, urgency back in her voice as she held out a hand.

"Come on, Kara. We're going to go for a drive. Maybe down to the beach for a bit." Eliza tried to keep her voice as light and as comforting as possible.

Kara let her hand fall off the hull of the ship. One last glance, and she left with Eliza, trying for a smile, but she looked… broken. Kara looked back once, before disappearing with Eliza out the door. Only Alex was left now, and she reached out to touch Viox's glowing body.

"She sang me the song meant to honour warriors departing for battle. When General Astra left on a mission with me, I heard it once, sung by members of the Military Guild." Viox hummed. "I think the phrase, 'deeply touched' applies. I am deeply touched. Lady Kara honours me."

"It was a beautiful song."

Viox hummed, then his body dimmed. "I will be going into hibernation, Alex. There will be no way that the humans will be able to extract any information from me. I have already locked everything away and downloaded the release protocol into a key."

"What key, Viox?"

Viox's glow continued dimming, his voice softened. "I've made it so no-one will be able to make sense of anything without the key. In case they have some other AI capable of hacking into me. Or a Coluan. I always hate interacting with those minds."

"Viox-"

"Promise me you will take care of Lady Kara, Alex." Viox's glow dimmed even further, almost all dark. "Promise me."

"I promise." Alex pressed both hands against Viox's hull, watching the light die. Alex tapped against Viox's body lightly, waiting for that dry, sardonic voice. When there was no reply, Alex couldn't hold back the sob that had pushed past the lump in her throat. "I promise. Do you hear me, Viox? I promise I'll watch her."

With her hands pressed against Viox, she heard the door opening behind her. Alex wiped roughly at her face, turning back to look at her dad, her eyes accusing.

"Alex." Jeremiah's eyes was regretful. "You have to trust me. I'm protecting Superman and Kara the only way I know how."

"How is this helping if it hurts her?" Alex asks hoarsely.

Jeremiah shook his head, his face drawn and tired. "We all make choices like the ones I'm making. I hope you never have to feel the way I feel or make decisions like the ones I'm making right now. But that's not how the world works. And one day, Alex, you'll understand."

Alex fled, speed-walking away, her mother catching her at the back porch and hustling her through the house, into the family car. They pulled away and drove, passing three black SUVs with tinted windows, speeding towards their house, followed by a mid-sized moving truck. Alex didn't say anything and didn't complain at how tight Kara's grip on her hand was, trying only to return that pressure and remind Kara that she still had her, still had Alex. And Alex would never let anyone take her away from Kara.


	18. Chapter 18

Notes:

This chapter is a time jump so it's stylistically different. I don't particularly like it but I also don't think I have the patience to slowburn this for a couple more chapters. Apologies too for the long hiatus between updates. Real life has been really fucking hitting me hard. wow. Why you gotta do me like that, real life?

Also want to say that I've stopped watching Supergirl. It's a bit too racist for me, what with a white slaver replacing a great black male lead, it really is time to just throw in the towel on trying to watch something that has such problematic elements of white supremacy and seems to be actively pushing this kind of narrative. I'm not here for this apologist kind of attitude that asks it's viewers to accept that 'all opinions are equal'. No. They fucking aren't. I'm also not here for chastising the lead character for finding a problem with someone who fucking owned slaves.

Season 2 was problematic enough with how they basically made it the Mon-El show and wanted people to actively sympathize with the 'good-looking' slaver (HE FUCKING LOOKS LIKE EVERY OTHER WHITE BOY ON THE CW). To celebrate his mediocrity while chastising Kara for having an issue with someone who actively hid how horrible he knew he was to avoid punishment, and had everyone come to his defence even at the risk of looking super OOC and promote TOLERANCE for fucked up white boys. Fuck that shit.

People say, well, he wants to change, he wants to be better, he's paid his dues. Yeah? So if a Nazi guard hiding in Canada gets called out, are you gonna say the same thing? He's living his life, he's not killing Jews NOW, he's learned his lesson.

Fucking only sorry he got caught.

Sorry, I'm angry. I love some of the actors but it's not worth it. I hope that people that watch this show don't second-guess themselves. If someone has an opinion that all other races are inferior to them and they wanna wipe these inferior races off the face of the earth? You are correct to not entertain that opinion and you fucking stand your ground on that. Take a fucking stance and do not let what happened in Nazi Germany happen in this present day and age. Do not let fucking racists think it's fucking okay and it's just a fucking opinion.

Fuck you, CW. You can go choke. I hope that whole fucking network dies and I don't really care for CWood, but now if I never see his face again, it'll still be too soon.

In saying all of this, yes, I will continue writing because this fic has become an entirely different beast. And I might watch again if things change but that's a huge might because it's the fucking CW.

* * *

If they were alone, Kara would always be reaching out to Alex, needing this physical closeness that was at once so strange to Alex and so normal. Alex had never been touchy but this was… normal. Kara made it normal. Normal in a way that made Alex's breath catch when Kara would almost purr at her touch. When Kara's grief loomed large and palatable, it was vanquished when Alex was there. It was the best feeling in the world, for Alex, making Kara feel better. The way Kara looked at her, like Alex was the world, was addictive to put it simply. Alex just wanted to make Kara happy.

It took a good several weeks to get Kara to really smile again. Kara always tried to do her best. In front of Eliza and the entire world, Kara fake smiled and fake laughed and tried to fumble through attempts at humour. Alex always knew better. After school, there was designated snuggle time on the couch, where Kara drew comfort in Alex's arms, exhausted from the day. Alex always tried to be more tactile during their times together, raking her fingers through Kara's hair, using deft fingers to rub at the base of Kara's neck, and sometimes just holding Kara and trying to breath in an even and calm manner, smoothing her hands down Kara's back, hoping it helped.

Alex was really grateful to Sharon who also seemed to know that Kara was going through something. Sharon would keep showing up with documentaries for Kara so they could all watch it together when Sharon didn't have to help her family at the restaurant after school. Even Brendan, in his own unassuming way, tried to include Kara when he and Alex had to go study at the library, or always brought snacks just for Kara. But most of the time it was just Alex and Kara. Bundled in a blanket, Kara was usually draped all over Alex and Alex would just trying to breath with Kara and offer whatever comfort she could give.

Alex was there throughout the whole period of mourning for Viox, holding Kara's hand, going with her to school, walking her to her locker and hugging Kara before they had to go separate ways. If they shared a lunch period on some days, Alex would opt to stick by Kara instead of her friends, sometimes leaving the crowds of the cafeteria to sit somewhere quiet outside with Kara. It was the constant care and attention that Alex had showered on Kara that made Kara finally smile, a real one, after weeks of sad facsimiles. Alex, at that time, felt like it wasn't unlike finally seeing the sun past the clouds.

Life calmed down, smoothing over to mundaneness, finally feeling better after Viox had allowed itself to be taken away. It seemed like it had been the right choice for Kara, for integrating into human society. Kara still had off days where she might freeze completely, or her mind would wander, her attention on something else nobody else could hear or see. But she seemed more determined to fit in, more determined to be as human as possible. She was more focused and she was getting her powers under control.

Kara's new determination to be as human as possible seemed to open up communications between the Kryptonian cousins. Clark called a bit more, talked to Kara a bit longer about how she could hide herself, make herself invisible. Encouraged her to slouch, to choose friends wisely, to not use her powers EVER in public. Alex felt, to put it lightly, irritated at Clark's attempts to hide Kara's light even though she understood why Kara needed to hide and herself encouraged it. But she hated the fact that Clark was telling Kara to… but Alex was happy that the calls always put Kara in a better mood.

Jeremiah came and went, and his first time back after Viox had been taken, had been awkward. Kara barely came out of her room when Jeremiah was there and when she did, Kara very deliberately made sure that Alex was always between her and Jeremiah so that they wouldn't have any physical interactions. And even though Kara didn't blame him, Alex knew that Kara was still so sad from the loss of the AI. Alex was angry enough at her dad that she also gave him the silent treatment and immediately regretted it when he left soon after that visit.

The next few times Jeremiah came back home to visit, it progressively got easier. Even if Alex didn't understand why things had happened the way it had and was still angry at her father, he was still her dad and things were easier when he was around. Alex was mature enough to realize she had to make the most of the time she had with him.

Eliza wasn't so biting when he was around and Alex felt like they were standing on firm ground when Jeremiah came home. Alex wished things between Kara and Jeremiah would get better, but even Alex understood Kara's withdrawal. When everything you had known was taken away from you, and all of this was beyond anyone's control, having something-someone-taken away from you so deliberately did not make it better. Jeremiah always wanted to try and heal that rift, but Kara always seemed to shrink from him, blinking rapidly behind her thick-framed glasses.

Alex could see that Kara tried really hard to forgive and seemed to understand why. Kara didn't like it, but Kara understood. Alex still didn't. She tried, but at times she just felt so angry, then guilty at all the anger. Kara still smiled, so Alex should be able to, too.

It got easier with time, Jeremiah's absence felt, but normalized. There wasn't time for the confusion and the anger Alex felt when he came back, the relief and excitement from his reappearances didn't leave any room for that. When Jeremiah got leave for more than a couple of days, the summer before Alex went into the 12th grade, it was one of the happiest vacations, ever. But it was also that one point in time that Alex realized that things had started changing, and perhaps not for the better.

All of them, her mom, her dad, Kara… they had all piled into a car and gone across the country, stopping at weird places like the World's Largest Ball of Twine, natural wonders of redwood forests where Kara just stood there, gaping at the giant trees…

With Eliza and Jeremiah always following behind, Alex and Kara were always scampering ahead, Alex leading the way and Kara following close beside her. Whether it was running through a forest or trying to find Audrey Hepburn's star on the Walk of Fame, the two girls were always together.

It was the last year that the both of them would be in the same school together, the last year where Alex would wait for Kara and they could go home together. Kara had finally gotten a hold of the whole 'napping' and 'sleeping' thing underneath a yellow sun, and usually used that as an excuse to cuddle up to Alex. Jeremiah sometimes looked at the both of them with a… troubled expression on his face.

And it seemed Jeremiah and Eliza were fighting more. Since he went to his new job, there had been calm periods, lots of happy periods… but recently every time he came back, it seemed like Eliza got more and more frustrated with Jeremiah, their arguments usually in writing-Alex realizing a long time ago that this was their preferred method of communicating if they didn't want Kara to hear them-their arguments never seeming to resolve. It always ended with Eliza throwing up her hands and walking away, usually taking Kara with her, leaving Alex there to wonder about her mom's anger and her dad's anguish.

Even though the rift between Jeremiah and his wife and Kara seemed to widen, Alex and Jeremiah continued to be as close as usual, despite even Alex's deep-seated anger. He helped her with choosing universities, majors, working out applications. He would still take her alone for 'Alex and Dad' time, to go stargazing, just the two of them. He talked to her quietly, and Alex spoke at length, comforted that he listened without judgement, and listened even at inconsequential things. Jeremiah also encouraged her to talk about Kara with him, asked Alex about Kara since Kara was never as easy with Jeremiah again, not after Viox. Alex knew her father cared, could sometimes feel his eyes on her when she was with Kara, his face unreadable.

That, however, seemed to set off Eliza, who would bristle visibly if Jeremiah ever enquired about Kara within earshot of his wife, and protest even more when Jeremiah would take Alex aside. Eliza would complain that Alex was leaving Kara out, that Alex wasn't taking care of her sister. And that's when the word kept dropping and Eliza kept pushing it.

Her sister. Alex's sister. Watch your sister, Alex. Take care of your sister, Alex. Where's your sister, Alex. You're supposed to be watching your sister, Alex. Keep your sister safe, Alex.

Alex and Kara had always used the title of 'sister' sparingly, sometimes feeling awkward using the term, the heaviness of what made them sisters, of the events that set into motion Kara's arrival on Earth weighing heavily on the both of them. Kara was always aware, that at one point, Alex never wanted a 'sister', and specifically didn't want Kara. But Eliza insisted stubbornly, until it was an everyday normal. They were sisters. The words, measured and unwieldy. As much familiar as it was so alien.

Jeremiah's comings and goings changed the family dynamic, especially with their constant arguing. Eliza put more responsibility on Alex, as Eliza had more odd hours as she tried to juggle being a parent and working full-time in a field she loved, both her personal and professional life demanding so much from her. Alex understood and bore the burden without complaint and became Kara's sole caretaker most times. The two girls, who spent so much time together, now found themselves almost always circling each other's orbit.

It was weird for Alex… to be the older sister in this relationship. Alex was 'older', but Kara had spent twenty plus years in a spacepod, floating in stasis. Alex might take the lead on a lot of things on Earth, but Kara, with her old-soul eyes, didn't need much direction. Aside from eccentricities Alex tried to help Kara through, Kara was whip-smart and wonderfully astute. Kar, for all her maturity and intelligence needed Alex, desperately. And if Alex was being honest, with her dad gone most of the time and her mother who sometimes seemed gone just as much, Alex needed Kara, too. Kara was the only thing that made sense.

When they went back to school, with Alex's last year going way too fast, Kara clung to Alex more than usual, their closeness starting off as a light joke amongst some of the students, cumulating to ugly rumours. There was hardly Alex without Kara, and Brendan, one time, tentatively told Alex about the rumours, when one of their friends alluded to it and Alex had seemed bewildered. It had set Alex off, a cold kind of panic hitting her straight in the chest. It horrified Alex, when she had tentatively asked Kara if anybody had bothered her about Alex, that Kara told her people were really nice to her and if they mentioned Alex, they usually made a gesture that Kara wasn't unfamiliar with, but it had seemed friendly enough. And then Kara had demonstrated the gesture to Alex and Alex's face had flamed in mortified anger. Alex was just as angry at herself as she was with the people who made fun of her and Kara. Alex shouldn't have let this happen, she was supposed to protect Kara!

Alex went through the last year of high school with a bang and shot her chances of being valedictorian by getting the name of every person that Kara remembered teasing her, and especially the names of the people that taught Kara that gesture, and made sure to threaten or beat them up; usually a combination of both. Alex narrowly avoided suspension when the vice-principal found out exactly what was going on. Wanting to avoid a scene and with all the bullies wanting to avoid calls to their parents, everyone got detention instead. But that didn't kill the rumours, not even when the very real threat of violence was imminent, and not even when Brendan asked Alex to the prom and she accepted to show people she didn't have an unhealthy attachment to Kara.

When Alex went away to university, on a fully-paid scholarship, that had been a rough time for the family, too. Eliza had hugged her daughter and seemed torn between wishing her good luck and almost desperately wishing Alex would stay. Kara had so wanted to go with Alex, her breath hitching, eyes wet. Alex had had to cajole and promise and sooth until finally, Alex had firmly said she was leaving and would be back, and had left.

Alex called home as soon as she touched down. Alex called every day, texting as much as she could, her time eaten up by school work, lab work, group work, and talking to a young Kryptonian. Alex planned her university career, building her path towards med school, but also taking xenobiology courses and aiming for a double-major. She was flying through her classes, flying faster than anyone else since she was already an expert in the xenobiology field-some of the books in her xenobiology courses written by her parents. She was a maverick and Alex blazed through her first year, her professors all recommending that maybe some of the courses she was taking could be deferred and she could be put into something more challenging, a faster track to the greatness they knew she was heading towards.

Alex needed to do all of this, be as fast as possible because over the phone and on the laggy video calls she made, Alex could tell that Kara needed her. Alex was flying fast and high, Kara's voice and face like the sun in the distance, waiting for her. Alex had plans, when she finally finishes school, she could take care of Kara better, go back to Kara to see her and make sure she was okay. Alex could be there, wherever Kara was and be there for her.

Alex got her wish sooner than she expected, at the end of her first year of university, she had to defer her exams and go home suddenly, her departure heralded by increasingly worrying phone calls from Kara, decreasing skype calls, and finally required when Eliza called her and spoke in that calm-but-freaking-out-voice her mother used when something she definitely could not handle was happening.

So Alex flew home, barely taking time to defer all her exams, almost forgetting to defer them if it weren't for her mother's sharp reminder to do so. As Alex grabbed her passport, her wallet, and her phone, Alex wouldn't remember this as a turning point as she raced to the airport. She would only remember the worry that gripped her, the fear. It had happened in increments, but this was the first time Alex had, with no thought of anything else, dropped EVERYTHING to get back to Kara. Incrementally, in slow steps, everything else had fallen to the wayside and Kara was now the most important thing in her world.


	19. Chapter 19

Yeesh, guys. What a time to be alive. Predatory men in power finally getting named and shamed. WOW. Good. I hope they throw the book at these people. And it's always appropriate to tell y'all that women who come forward need to be supported and believed, and the women who do not, should not be condemned for doing so. We all do what we do and some people do not have the star power or the clout to gamble with the fact that they may not have a job if they do speak out.

Again, support and believe the women that do. But support and understand the women that don't. Listen to them.

And... it's always a good time to drop a #blacklivesmatter. Because it always does and this is always something all of you should bear in mind. And before you guys drop the 'all lives matter' bull, NO. If all lives actually mattered, than what the hell is happening to the black population? Concentrate, people. BLACK LIVES MATTER. I love all y'all.

ANYWAYS. On to the chapter!

* * *

Before the taxi had even come to a complete stop, Alex had shoved money at the taxi driver, telling them to keep the change and jumped out of the taxi, already calling out for Kara.

"Kara!" Alex burst through the front door, her head turning to the sound of her mother's footsteps hurrying down the stairs from the second floor.

"Alex," Eliza hugged her daughter briefly in greeting. Eliza looked frazzled. "Kara was asking for you."

"What happened?" Alex asks, trying to remain as calm as possible, always remembering that Kara was listening. Alex's demeanour seemed to help Eliza, and the older woman took a deep breath, exhaling shakily.

"Kara has been… changing." Eliza's voice took on a more clinical note. "I've never witnessed it but I think this is part of Kryptonian adolescence and puberty."

Alex was loathe to ask, but the curiosity was killing her. "Why didn't you call Superman?"

"I did, after I called you." Eliza's answer made Alex feel a bit smug. She wasn't even a Kryptonian, but her mother trusted her to understand and help Kara before going to an actual Kryptonian.

"He didn't pick up. I saw on the news he was fighting some… I'm sure the person Superman was fighting was an alien but he just looked like… a member of KISS played by a biker on steroids." Eliza explained, almost rambling. Whenever Eliza was nervous, she rambled on about facts and figures or took an extreme interest in whatever was making her nervous and tried to break it down as rationally as she could. Alex noted this in the back of her mind, dimly aware that at this time and place, she was seeing her mother, not as just her mother who nagged her a lot, but as a human being who was actually a person. It was a strange concept, and Alex didn't have time to really wrap her head around it before this thought was banished by the noises coming from her and Kara's room.

"What do you mean by 'changing'?" Alex redirected the subject back to Kara, starting up the stairs, her ears picking up what sounded like pained groaning.

"It's… well…" Eliza took in another shaky breath. "I wouldn't have called you if I-you know if I-"

"It's fine, mom." The words finally made Eliza still, and Alex could see the deep furrow between her mom's brows, the worry entrenched there and… the deep shame on her face.

"I didn't," Eliza struggled in front of her daughter, her words stuttering out of her, the admission deepening the lines around Eliza's mouth and seeming to squeeze the energy out of her. "I didn't know what to do."

It was just like her mom with the centipede again. Another groan drew Alex away from whatever conclusion her head was trying to wrap around, and Alex flew up the stairs two at a time to get to her and Kara's room, leaving her mother behind.

"Kara!" The door flew open and Alex approached her sister, huddled on Alex's bed in a ball, face on the bed while clutching Alex's pillow.

"Alex, don't touch her, you don't know-" Eliza cut off her next words abruptly, before continuing in a much more measured tone of voice. "You have to… you should wear gloves. You don't know-"

That's when Alex noticed that there were… large pieces of what look liked shed skin littering the bed, and the clothes Kara was wearing were torn and barely holding on at the seams. Through the holes and tears in Kara's shirt, Alex could see that Kara's skin was red and raw; it looked quite painful. The blonde didn't seem to be registering that Alex and Eliza were there at all, possibly catatonic from sensory overload.

"Did you take samples?" Alex asked tersely.

"Yes but-"

"Did you take samples? Is anything toxic? Are there biological hazards?"

"No-"

Two long strides took Alex to Kara's side, and she leaned in, bare hands gently touching Kara's back. The Kryptonian arched into the warmth of Alex's hands instinctively, her spine protruding, it's outline too sharp and smooth to be normal. It struck Alex suddenly, that this girl she called sister, was very literally not from this world.

"Give me some time." Alex's full attention was on Kara. "I'll come down when she's better."

Alex didn't look to see if her mother was gone, having crawled onto the bed next to Kara, ignoring the weird mix of slippery wet and paper-crunch sensation of shed skin under her hands and knees.

" _Kara, I'm here._ " Alex turned Kara onto her side to face Alex, Kara's eyes unseeing, her hands clamped over her own ears, her body folded in so tight that Kara's entire body was shaking from the stress. The fact that Kara's face looked like it was stretched and compressed by an opaque film, molded into something unrecognizable and monstrous didn't faze Alex in the slightest. Alex pressed her hands over Kara's, leaned forward until her forehead was pressed against Kara's forehead. Alex almost flinched away at how hot Kara's skin was to the touch, but resolutely pressed forward skin to skin, her own pale skin against Kara's red and peeling face.

Staring into Kara's eyes, which were dark blue and unseeing, Alex could see… it was like swimming up from the black depths of the ocean… she could see Kara coming back. Kara seemed to be struggling valiantly, eyes blinking rapidly, sucking breaths of air through her nose and mouth in whistling gulps. Alex kept quiet and still, waiting until she felt like enough time had elapsed before trying again.

" _Kara, it's me._ " Alex tried again, gentling her voice even more.

"Alex." The name hissed out between Kara's gritted teeth, the light back in Kara's eyes, hopeful and bright, the darkness banished, Kara staring back at Alex. Kara's hands curled up to touch Alex's chin, disbelief on Kara's face but such raw hope shining from them.

" _You're here! I needed you… I was calling for you but-how are you here?_ " Kara breathed out, sounding overwhelmed with joy. Pain furrowed Kara's brow when she moved a bit more and Alex reacted to the distress on Kara's face. Even though it wasn't the face Alex recognized, it was still Kara.

" _I flew_." Alex joked. The words were clumsy, too stiff and formal. Alex felt angry at herself for not practicing more. " _What do you need me to do? How can I help?_ "

" _I need you to… I need…_ " Kara's words trailed off into a whimper. " _Hold on to me?_ "

Alex complied, gathering Kara into her arms, feeling the quavering in the Kryptonian's limbs. Alex would pause her movements periodically when her jostling made Kara cry out, but bit by bit, managed to gather Kara up in a loose hold.

" _What's wrong?_ " Alex felt Kara's cries of pain like physical blows. This was something she couldn't help with. Alex wasn't fast enough, hadn't studied hard enough, wasn't smart enough… She didn't know how to help Kara. She didn't even know what was afflicting Kara. Alex had never felt so helpless and could feel her frustration bubbling up, choking her. The feeling only abated a little when Kara chuckled wearily, reaching up to trace Alex's jawline with a peeling finger.

" _Kryptonian rite of passage,_ " Kara winced, taking a deep breath. " _The Stage of Growth. Don't worry about me, Alex. I just… need you to hold on to me._ "

Alex nodded furiously, pulling the younger woman closer. Alex watched Kara close her eyes, grit her teeth and start stretching. It was a jerky, hesitant motion, an incremental extension of Kara's body. Her arms had been curled up tight to her chest, but now Kara lifted them above her head, the movement awkward in the circle of Alex's arms. But Alex held on as Kara let out little whimpers, stretching her legs, pointing her toes down. Alex watched mutely as she saw Kara's skin break and tear apart, held Kara carefully as she convulsed in little tremors.

" _Can I do anything?_ " Alex asked miserably, hating that Kara was in pain.

" _It's enough. It's enough that you're here._ " Kara breathed out. Her stretch had broken skin on her face and neck, revealing red, blistered looking flesh underneath. But Kara's face was more recognizable now, just looking like she had barely escaped a four alarm fire in an oil refinery. The old skin had been compacting her features was attached to her face in large, separate flakes, but were no longer mushing her features together. Alex felt so relieved that this wasn't a fatal condition that she didn't even register the tears flowing down her own cheeks until Kara was touching Alex's face in concern.

" _I'm fine, Alex. Every Kryptonian goes through this._ " Kara soothed.

"What about Superman?" Alex hated that her voice squeaked from the tears choking her up. "He never told us this would happen. Or that it happened to him."

"This is a private thing. Only for family and companions." Kara sighed, looking drowsy and exhausted. "This is… at our most vulnerable. _I choose you to be with me. No other do I trust more above you._ "

Alex let out a sigh of contentment, touching their foreheads together again, breathing the same air as Kara. The words, formal and full of gravitas, made contentment settle deep in her bones.

Kara closed her eyes, a slight smile on her lips. " _I'm glad you're home, Alex. I'm so tired._ "

"Go to sleep, sweetheart." The endearment slipped out before Alex could censor herself, blushing furiously at the words that had come out of her mouth. Before she could backtrack, Kara already fallen asleep, completely dead to the world. Alex stayed there for a few minutes, eyes sweeping over Kara's face. Sure that Kara would stay asleep, Alex got up, trying her best not to move Kara as she extricated herself from the Kryptonian.

Alex padded out of the room and back down the stairs, finding her mother at the dinner table, a mug of coffee cupped in both hands, sipping delicately at her beverage. Eliza startled when she noticed Alex, spilling a bit of coffee on the table.

"I got that." Alex grabbed a dishcloth from the kitchen and came back to wipe up the spill. Alex noticed now that her mother had dark circles under her eyes, her hair looking oily and unwashed. It looked like her mom hadn't rested in days.

"I'm glad you're home, Alexandra." Eliza gave Alex a rundown smile. Eliza folded her hands together, looking down at them. "I knew this, thing she's going through would pass but then… and I didn't want to bother anyone but Kara was calling for you. She was calling out for you and I didn't know-"

Alex covered her mom's tightly clasped hands with her own. Eliza stopped talking and just bowed her head, her long hair making a curtain so Alex couldn't seeing her mom's face.

"Mom, do you want to take a shower or a nap? I'll call for food." Alex said, her voice neutral and calm.

"Thank you. That would be very nice, honey." Eliza moved to get out of her chair and Alex ducked her head down, patting her pockets for her phone to pick a take out place, trying not to look at her mom's face again. It made her uncomfortable to realize that her mother could look like that. So… tired and beatdown. Alex glanced up, just as her mother disappeared up the stairs. It was a disconcerting feeling to realize that there were some things that overwhelmed her mother, and it left a tiny ball of anxiety right in the centre of Alex. Her parents were not infallible beings.

Alex scrolled through her saved numbers of all the take-out places she and Kara would call out to, and she finally settled on Chinese take-out. It had been a while since she had been home and Alex felt like Kara and Eliza might appreciate the comfort of familiar food.

"Alex?" Sharon's voice came over the line. "Are you home?"

"Hey Sharon," Alex greeted. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Call display. Are you back home?" Sharon repeated.

"Yeah-"

"Is Kara okay? She hasn't been in school for a while and the teachers just said she was sick. I brought homework to the house but I never saw her."

"She's going to be just fine, she's just a bit sick." Alex explained, touched to know that Sharon was still just as good a friend to Kara as she usually was. "How've you been?"

"You know, working part-time, stressing out about colleges. Stressing out because Kara's not stressing out over colleges."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Sharon laughed. "She's all like 'I'm going to the same school as Alex', and that's it."

Alex smiles fondly to herself. "Well, she probably wants to do that because she knows I'll be paying for all the food she eats."

"Speaking of food, do you want any or did you just call to say hi?"

"Oh, no. Sorry. Yeah, I'm ordering."

Sharon takes her order quickly, promising that someone will be by soon to drop off the order. Alex hangs up, noting the sound of water running in the pipes in the wall. Someone was taking a shower. Probably her mother.

Alex climbed the stairs again, peeking into their room to see Kara curled up in bed, her face turned towards the door.

"Alex!"

Alex crossed the room and was sitting on the bed, smoothing Kara's hair away from the younger woman's face. In the process of Kara's shedding, Alex noticed that most of Kara's clothes had torn apart during her stretch, except for her underwear which were stretched tight around Kara's thighs, already tearing a bit at the seams. Alex tried to cover Kara up with a blanket but the Kryptonian let out a hiss of pain at the touch of cloth against her skin.

"I'm sorry! Does it hurt?" Alex threw the blanket away from Kara.

"Just sensitive with the new skin. Everything I touch, even this bed..." Kara was trying to smile again but it was barely convincing. Alex drew back but a noise of complaint from Kara and her hand were back on Kara, touching her lightly on the shoulder.

"I thought I was dreaming." Kara croaked out. "I was afraid I was hallucinating and you weren't really here."

"I'm really back." Alex pressed the back of her hand against Kara's forehead. The Kryptonian's temperature seemed to have dropped some from the almost-scalding hotness of before. Kara sighed at Alex's touch, nuzzling into it minutely.

"I didn't want you to worry." Kara said apologetically. "You were studying so hard for your exams."

"Oh, I didn't end up doing them. But that's okay."

"No, no, no, no, that's," Kara was more alert, a look of horror on her face. " _This is… I read this is how humans, especially in this part of the world, find their vocation. I read that this is very important, especially examinations-_ "

" _It's fine. My teachers give me… time._ " Alex struggled with the words, slow on her tongue, out of practice. " _It will be fine. I want to talk about you. You said… Stage of Growth?_ "

" _Every child goes through this, to their adult stage. I started mine late. Earth's yellow sun has affected me strangely and I didn't think that I would be growing so fast._ "

" _How long does it take? Normal?_ " Alex tried her words again. " _Normally. Regularly?_ "

" _Child stage is quite long for us. Then the adolescence shedding and growing comes once every few of our Kryptonian years. I don't think I'm finished, though. And this could happen a couple more times in the next few years._ " Kara stretched out her arm, groaning as her skin pulled and stretched, but this new skin stayed.

"Should I-" Alex tried to remove her hand from Kara's forehead, but Kara clasped her hand over Alex's.

"No, please. You make it better." Kara confessed. The rub of fabric against her skin, hearing sounds from states away… all of it was maddening. But Alex's hand, the faithful beat of her heart, banished all the white noise and sensory overload just like it always did. Kara could focus on Alex, her smell, the feel of her hand… and everything would be better. They stayed like this, Alex's hand pressed against Kara's forehead, dry and warm, Alex's heartbeat thrumming through their skins, settling Kara's skin to that same gentle rush of blood.

"I ordered food for us." Alex's thumb stroked along the line of Kara's jaw. Alex traced her fingers wonderingly over the planes of Kara's face, smiling at the unfocused look on Kara's face, knowing she was listening to something far away. When Kara refocused back on Alex's face, delight was clear in the Kryptonian's eyes.

"You ordered Chinese!" Kara said with glee. Alex chuckled. It was still Kara but different. Alex tried to remember their last video chat, now remembering how Kara's face had seemed… oddly pinched the last time they had talked face to face over the laggy connection in her dorm room.

" _Only the best for mine._ " Alex offered the words Viox had taught her, her heart felt lighter at the grin on Kara's face. The sound of the doorbell ringing soon after signalled the arrival of the food. Alex could hear her mother calling to them about going downstairs to eat.

"Do you want to come down and eat? Or I can bring the food up to you." Alex asked.

"No, I've been laying in bed for a really long time. I feel like I should walk a bit." Kara got up gingerly, holding onto Alex's arm to steady herself. Kara had never been shy about her body and didn't make to cover up at all. Kara got up, stumbling awkwardly like a baby gazelle, the flexing of her muscles finally tearing her underwear at the sides.

"Oops." Kara looked down and casually ripped off the rest of her underwear, bunching it up and chucking it into the garbage bin on the other side of the room with super accuracy.

"Kara." Alex could feel her face heating up as her eyes darted below Kara's neck, back up to Kara's earnest face where it was much safer to rest her eyes.

" _Alex, I missed you so much._ " Kara leaned forward, resting her chin on Alex's shoulder with a tremulous sigh. Alex, meanwhile, had frozen completely, unsure of where to put her hands.

" _You can touch me. It doesn't hurt when you touch me._ " Kara reassured Alex, not knowing that Alex was having a different kind of conundrum. Kara took this as a cue to move closer-closer than she already was which was way too close for Alex's comfort at the moment-and grabbed Alex's hands, guiding them to wrap around her waist. At the feel of Alex's bare palms on the skin of her back, Kara let out a happy sigh, the irritation of feeling so MUCH, banished far away.

"Kara," Alex chuckled, pressing her face against the side of Kara's head in a bid to hide her flaming face, trying desperately to understand why she was feeling so flustered. "Did you suddenly grow taller than me?"

Alex took a step back to look up at Kara, marvelling at how much the younger woman had grown. Kara ducked her head bashfully, the gesture so charming that Alex felt briefly stunned by it, had to take a step back and turn away.

"Here," Alex picked up and shook out the long flat sheet Kara had on her bed. "I know you don't like it but if you want to go downstairs, mom might appreciate you wearing something."

Alex carefully draped the sheet over Kara, trying to not wince at every little noise of discomfort Kara made as Alex wrapped her in the sheet in a loose toga style. Kara tried a smile, but it came out as a wince.

"How's walking?" Alex asked, worried.

"Just hold my hand?" Kara asked through gritted teeth. Alex complied readily and Kara finally let out a breath, anchoring herself to Alex. "Better."

"Is this helping?" Alex tilted her head to the side, a bit more inquisitive. "Are you still invulnerable?"

Kara nodded. "Tried to bang my knee on something sharp, see if it would cut. I can feel pain now, and gosh it hurts, but, uh, don't tell Eliza I broke my bed again."

"Don't try to hurt yourself again, please. I know we did it before, just to test. But… it really-I don't like it. I can't help it." Alex shook her head as Kara squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I just don't like you being hurt, that's all."

Kara nodded, tugging Alex towards the door. "Okay."

"I'm worried, though. How are you able to be so sensitive to things right now that it registers as pain, and with your super senses, you're feeling everything-"

"I just need to control it better. Viox said… Viox said it will always give me trouble, like my sight, but I have to adjust." Kara shrugged uncomfortably at the reminder of Viox as they made their way downstairs. Eliza was already setting out the boxes of food when the two young women arrived in the kitchen. Eliza looked cleaned up, hair tied up in a high ponytail, still wet from her shower. Alex tried to let go of Kara's hand but Kara retained a tight grip, seeming to need skin-to-skin contact.

"Girls. Kara. You look better." Eliza smiled at them, definitely looking much better than when Alex had first stepped through the door. Eliza's eyes darted down to their entwined hands, but she didn't comment on it to Alex's relief. Alex was sure her reputation as a hardass at home was well and truly shattered.

Kara nodded sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it would happen like this."

"It's alright. We'll keep it in between us." Eliza's gaze turned sharp when her attention turned to Alex. "It's a private thing, so don't tell your dad about it, okay?"

"I know.." Alex shrugged, a bit stung by the sudden bite in her mother's tone. "Kara told me it was a private thing."  
"It is, so we'll keep it in between the three of us. We don't want-" Eliza clamped her mouth shut suddenly, as if realizing she was beginning to rant. "Anyways. Let's keep it between the girls. I really don't want to explain to your father about Kara hitting Kryptonian puberty."

Alex shuddered. Before Kara had come to live with them, Alex had had that talk with her mother, and her father had been present. It was highly awkward talking about hair growth on her body and she had been about as mortified as her father had been. Alex was sure her mother had been, too, and it made her feel better that this was proof that it hadn't been a fun experience for her mother either.

Alex made to let go of Kara's hand again, but Kara kept a tight grip. It wasn't unpleasant, but it would just be difficult to eat with only one hand. The first ten minutes or so they ate in silence, Eliza and Kara both seemed super concentrated on their food. Alex watched the both of them, a little bit concerned. She knew it had been a really rough time and Alex was loathe to leave Kara alone in Middleton with her mom, who didn't seem to be handling Kara's growing stages very well.

"Hey," The sudden attention from two pairs of eyes made Alex clear her throat nervously. "Um. I was just thinking. I wanna be around for Kara's… growing. I think it'll be better for her? She's, I think she can feel pain when she's like this but I make it better. Right, Kara?"

Kara nodded, wondering where Alex was leading with this but trusting Alex.

"What if Kara came to be with me when she feels this shedding thing coming on? Like, I need to go back to do my exams, but if you'll let me borrow the car-or I can rent one, I can go there and then drive back with Kara." Alex gestured plaintively with one hand. "She could just stay with me since I have my own dorm room and I don't have to share and everyone on my floor's pretty cool. Plus most everyone is on exam mode or they're packing up and leaving. And then when I'm done my exams, I can drive us both back."

Eliza put down her pair of chopsticks with a sigh. She steepled her hands together and closed her eyes resting her forehead against her hands.

"It's… honey." Eliza looked between Alex and Kara. "But you have your exams-"

"It's fine. The professors are really really chill and I know my stuff like the back of my hand." Alex said confidently. And she really did. Everything she had studied had been super easy. She was incredibly smart, but it was also extremely easy when she knew that this information she was consuming could definitely help Kara.

Eliza looked torn, though. Her eyes drifted over to Kara, weary, so full of helplessness.

"Is that what you want, dear?"

"It's what I want." Kara nodded, her eyes bright and happy at the thought of being with Alex at school. "It's definitely what I want and it'll help. I won't even bother her, I'll just be sleeping. And I don't think I'm shedding again anytime soon, but being with Alex can help, especially right after shedding."

Eliza nodded again, and Alex could see the relief plain on her face, but the guilt again in the lines around her mouth. Since coming through the door, she had noticed these little things about her mother, and Alex was suddenly shocked to see how much time had passed from when Kara had first come to their house. From when Alex had first ridden her bike, even. She remembered her mother, bright-eyed and laughing, her face young and vibrant.

But now her mother had wrinkles around her eyes and worries had deepened the lines on her face. Alex was suddenly afraid. She realized that her mother was getting older, and so was Alex. And there would be times when her mother would not have all of the answers and this time, right here, was one of those times.

Alex held out her free hand to her mother, suddenly needing her mother's touch. Eliza complied, taking Alex's hand in her own.

"Don't worry, mom." Alex said bravely. "We'll be okay."


	20. Chapter 20

I HOPE EVERYONE IS DOING WHAT THEY CAN ABOUT NET NEUTRALITY. I'M LOOKING RIGHT AT YOU, AMERICANS.

And heads up, this chapter isn't explicit but... I guess, risque? Anyways, read at your own risk, could get sinful.

Special thank you to Eloquentdrivil (WHERE IS MY NEXT CHAPTER?!) and justanexercise for dealing with me freaking out about little details and being all over the place. thanks, buddies!

Also, thank you thank you thank you for all the comments. I really do love reading them and I reply when I can. If you wanna touch base with me, you can always find me on tumblr!

* * *

" _I didn't know what he was doing, but I don't think he knew what HE was doing either. And when he tried to kiss me, he banged his nose against mine and broke his. It was so embarrassing."_

Kara had to do an extra half-year to make up credits she needed for university, since her whole academic history had been forged by Clark Kent, who did not realize how many credits and what type of credits Kara needed to graduate. It had irked Alex to no end, because her and Kara had made plans to be at the same university and now they had one more year to go, and Sharon, Kara's best friend, had graduated high school and gone off to her own university of choice. That left Kara basically alone and Alex knew Kara tried to be brave, but Alex also knew it was hard for Kara to be there alone.

" _I just can't wait to be there with you, you know? … I'm doing okay. But I miss you."_

When Kara dropped in in the middle of the first semester of Alex's second year, Eliza again, was frantic at the start of Kara's second shedding period. Alex had taken up the responsibility without another word. Explained to her housemates that it was just for a little while. Then, Eliza had driven back home after staying for a day to recuperate from the drive. Eliza left a shaking, wild-eyed Kara, with Alex. This second bout of the Stage of Growth was apparently much worse.

In Alex's presence and the privacy of her room, Kara had mindlessly ripped out of all of her own clothes, clutched at Alex and sighed in relief at Alex pressed against her. But Alex found that every time Kara rubbed against Alex's clothes, Kara would let out a little mewl of discomfort. So the first to go was Alex's shirt. Alex didn't sleep with a bra on, but she didn't have a chance to be embarrassed at all when Kara had pressed herself against Alex with a groan of pleasure. The sound Kara had made stripped all other thoughts from Alex's brain, which left Alex mortified, her heart pounding at her own reaction. But when Kara winced at the rub of Alex's sleeping shorts, those were kicked off in a hurry, too.

" _When was your first kiss, Alex? Was it… was it good? Did you like it? How did it feel?"_

It was still something awful to see and hear Kara's shedding. Holding on to her didn't make much of a difference during the worst of it, and the beginning was always the worst. Kara's old skin would get milky and cloudy, her features pressed and constrained.

That first time in Alex's dorm room, had lasted a week. During that week, Alex holed herself up in her bedroom, barely going to classes, keeping Kara entertained and doing her work with a Kryptonian young adult on her back, attached to her. Kara went back to Midvale when the shedding was done and her skin had subsided to a sunburned-pink colour instead of the angry red of new flesh.

This whole first experience in Alex's dorm set a precedent, and the end of third semester found Kara back at Alex's sharehouse, going straight to Alex's room and shucking off all of her clothes before Alex's room door was even completely closed. It was a bit different than the first couple of times, though Alex couldn't tell what exactly made it different. Was it the look in Kara's eyes? It definitely hurried Alex's hands to the buttons of her own shirt and it definitely made Alex try to undress as quickly as Kara had.

Kara had watched Alex, her expression hungry, while Alex had her back against the door. Impatience and pain seemed to radiate off of Kara as she stalked forward, Kara's body no longer awkward and pubescent, but sinewy and long. Maybe Alex had watched too many nature documentaries with Kara and Sharon, but at the moment, Alex likened the image of Kara moving towards her at that instance, like a young adult wolf. Skinny, stretched out, reaching towards and almost grasping adulthood. She was losing the baby fat in her cheeks, made more apparent by the stretch of old skin across the fine bones of Kara's face.

It didn't take a second for Kara to be in front of Alex, impatiently pulling at Alex's clothes, her eyes dark and needy. By the time Alex was out of her pants, Kara already had a hand slipped under the waistband of Alex's underwear, fingers digging into the meat of Alex's ass, pulling Alex into Kara, but simultaneously pushing Alex up against the door, the cheap wood at Alex's back creaking dangerously. In a bid to stop Kara from actually ripping off her underwear and pushing them through the door, Alex had to place a hand against Kara's chest and another one over Kara's hand on her last piece of clothing. It stopped Kara enough that Alex was able to take that pause she bought to step out of her last stitch of clothing.

Alex's role in managing Kara's pain was like the game Alex played when she was a kid, where the floor was lava and she had to jump on to different objects-chairs, tables, cushions on the floor-to avoid the lava. Except now everything was lava and Alex was the only safe place Kara could be on. Kara's eyes on her, her forehead pressed tight against Alex's… Alex could feel this low hum of excitement underneath her skin, the gut-punch of almost drunken headiness when Kara gathers her up effortlessly, Alex naturally had to wrap her legs around Kara's waist-Alex still marvels at how easy it is for Kara to just pick her up-and Kara moves them to the bed. Kara was solely focused on getting on top of Alex, not commenting on or most likely not registering the fact that Alex was breathing short and fast, skin flushed, as Kara drops her weight on Alex with a guttural sound of relief.

Kara watched her underneath pale eyelashes, hands gripping her hips so hard, Alex would later find that Kara's touch left bruises. Alex wondered if she was having some kind of sensory confusion too as she clung on to Kara. The younger woman had almost sounded like she growled as she pushed Alex into the bed with little undulations of her body. Alex wondered why she was letting out little breathy sounds, mouth pressed against Kara's ear, why she felt hot all over and why she felt so strange.

" _When I touch you, I feel… better. I feel GOOD. … How do you feel when you touch me, Alex?"_

Kara didn't go into her shedding period again during Alex's second year in college. Which was all well and good because the weird looks Alex had started getting from her housemates after Kara left were really uncomfortable, and one housemate took to leaving the room whenever she entered it. During Kara's stay with Alex those few times in second year, Kara had mostly stayed in Alex's room-albeit completely naked-just sleeping and cuddling with Alex. Maybe sometimes Kara's noises of discomfort were a bit loud. Loud enough that rumours about Alex's 'sister complex' spread in no time. Alex gained a new vulgar nickname, and the steadily rising hostility in her housing situation made Alex go looking for her own place. One of her profs helped her out and she found a pretty big loft, the owner seemed to think highly enough of her prof to rent her the space for pretty cheap.

Alex also needed the space because Kara had applied and been accepted to National City University on an undecided major. It would be easier to share a place with Kara while the Kryptonian weathered out her Period of Growth. Jeremiah and Eliza both came to move Kara in, fussing over both Alex and Kara and making sure they had enough food and money to last them. Jeremiah had taken Alex off to the side, passing her a credit card with a wink and telling her not to tell her mother, while Eliza and Kara hugged it out in the kitchen. Soon, they were gone and it was just Kara and Alex, beaming at each other.

" _This will be so much fun! Just me and you again, don't you think, Alex? Oh, I have to call Sharon and tell her that I'm all settled in now! Do you want to order some food, or do you want to cook tonight?"_

They never got around to buying a second bed for Kara, Kara and Alex both agreeing that the king-sized mattress Alex had splurged on was big enough for the both of them. It also was a great excuse for the two of them to be tucked up against each other, Alex enjoying the extra heat that radiated off Kara, which was just perfect in their drafty, open-concept apartment. Kara just enjoying the fact that Alex was there. And even though now she was taller than Alex, she enjoyed tucking her head underneath Alex's chin at night, safe and content. They both kept their clothes on but sometimes Kara would sneak her hands up the back of Alex's shirt. Alex would grumble about it but couldn't seem to deny Kara anything.

Eliza had been worried they would fight when they were together, but it honestly was the happiest Alex could remember being. Sure, they fought over inconsequential things, but they were usually cuddled up together by bedtime. Alex had school, studying, her lab, and Kara. University was where she learned and grew and exchanged her thoughts with like-minded people. But Kara, Kara helped her expand on her ideas and followed Alex's process easily, and Kara was both at once her teacher and her student, just like Alex was for her. There was no other person that complemented Alex so perfectly.

The time came when Kara hit another growth spurt and it was easier when Kara started another shedding, with Alex being there from the beginning. But Alex remembered skin on skin and molten heat and things that she didn't want to think about and drag out of the little box that she had pushed all those thoughts into, the same box she had shoved in a corner of her mind and tried to forget about. When Kara pulled at her clothes, Alex begged off and encouraged Kara to try to weather it out. Kara bravely tried, nodding and trusting Alex to always know what's best.

" _Alex… Alex it hurts. Alex, come back. You make it better. ...Please. I need you."_

Alex had come home to find Kara, naked in bed, keening piteously for Alex. It was definitely a good idea to have her own place, with Kara literally ripping her skin off, crying out loudly enough for probably even their neighbours to hear. Alex spent a full three days with Kara's face pressed against her neck, as the Kryptonian ripped out of her skin violently. Alex was a bit relieved, guiltily so, that this time she wasn't distracted by that weird low-drop twisting sensation in her stomach when Kara was so clearly in pain. Kara's pain felt less uncomfortable than whatever sounds Alex had been dealing with before. Which also made Alex feel guilty because what kind of monster let someone feel even a little bit of this kind of discomfort and not do something about it as soon as they could?

But even with that thought in mind, when Kara was recovered enough to appreciate Alex's closeness and vocalized her pleasure with little pleased groans, Alex had slipped away with the excuse of cleaning up Kara's sheddings and going to class. Kara had let her leave with no complaints, but the way she looked at Alex when she left, with an intense, unreadable expression, made Alex's stomach flip flop.

" _When you're with me, when you hold me during the times when I need you, you sometimes smell a bit different. It's… nice."_

Alex barely had time for a social life, but was popular enough. It seemed that whatever popularity she had managed to get in high school followed her to university. Some of the people she hung out with on occassion listed out her pros and cons at a bar one night. Alex still kept pretty active and surfed on and off with some other surfers that lived in the area, so she was, as her friends put it, 'ripped'. Alex was also surprised to know that she was fairly attractive, apparently. Even when she hadn't washed her hair in days and looked like a disheveled hobo in the labs, her friends rated her easily an 'eight or a nine on your worst days'. She didn't know what else to do but frown when some of her guy friends high-fived each other and pronounced her 'highly-bangable'.

Alex laughed along with everyone when they jumped back to how smart she was and brushed off her blazing intellect and her scholastic dominance in her fields of study. This topic lead to her cons, one of them being that she worked way too hard and she didn't have enough time for people. Then they had started talking about her foster sister, Kara.

And that became a lot harder for Alex to laugh off.

Alex's friends had met Kara and mentioned to Alex that they could tell Kara was 'special', looking at Kara in a way that was too understanding and too pitying. Kara's attachment to Alex also accepted in a deeply condescending way. But now they laughed at how ridiculous it was, that Alex couldn't possibly be banging her foster sister.

Alex's friends seemed oblivious to her discomfort though and started discussing in detail, the rumours that had went around during second year. Alex again, laughed and joked along with everyone, but a deep feeling of shame rooted inside her, and she felt… afraid. The jokes they were making, crude and harmless, harmless because, of course they weren't true, they were just poking fun. And of course it was weird and of course, Alex definitely didn't do anything with Kara. Definitely didn't. So why did Alex feel so guilty?

By the time she had gotten home, Kara was still in bed, the lights off and curled up tight under the sheets. Kara had had a group project she had to do so this was one of the rare occasions that Alex and Kara weren't attached at the hip. Alex watched Kara for a few seconds before she headed to the washroom to finish getting ready for bed. When she got to bed, Alex looked at Kara again, laying there quietly. On a whim, Alex pulled off her long flannel pants, picking them up and chucking them over the armchair near the bed.

Shivering at the sudden chill, Alex slipped under the covers, Kara turning to face her, tangling their legs together. The delight on Kara's face made Alex chuckle and scoot closer, pull Kara underneath her and hug her against her chest. Kara made cute little grunts as she wiggled around and got comfortable, her hand straying downwards to press a warm palm against Alex's thigh. With a little sigh, Kara tugged at Alex's leg until it was draped half on top of her.

" _Your face is really red, Alex. And you're kinda burning up! Are you getting sick? Snuggle closer, I'll keep you warm!"_


	21. Chapter 21

DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER IF YOU WANNA KEEP THIS PG. It gets a bit explicit.

This goes into some weird territory. Sooooo... Hope you all like it! Please comment because I really don't know if this one was good or not. I'm bad at writing along these lines.

* * *

"Yes dad," Alex sighed. Her dad was being a special kind of annoying at the moment. "I'm eating well."

"Don't worry, Jeremiah!" Kara was squished up right next to Alex, happily chewing on some twizzlers. "I'm feeding her!"

"Thanks, Kara!" Jeremiah said, knowing Kara could hear him.

"You're welcome!"

"Alright, alright. We have work to do, gotta go!" Alex was eager to get off the phone. Kara had an exam coming up soon and Alex had to help her through it. World History was particularly hard for Kara to get through because she always got so frustrated with how things happened and why they happened.

"Okay honey, I love you!" Jeremiah said, waiting patiently. Alex groaned, cheeks flushing at the affectionate way Jeremiah spoke to her. She was a grown woman!

"Okay dad, love you, too! Have fun on your business trip!"

"I'll be Peru. And I'm not going yet! I'm going to be back in Midvale probably before I go, so will I see you and Kara there?"

"We'll try!" Alex was barely keeping back a growl of impatience. "Okay, bye! Have fun!"

Kara leaned in, eager to call out her goodbyes, too.

"Bye, Jeremiah!"

"Bye, girls!"

Finally, Jeremiah Danvers hung up the phone. Alex plugged her device in at her nightstand before flopping back on the bed next to Kara.

"Okay, so what's the problem?" Alex asked, looking over the page that Kara was reading. "It's basically memorizing dates and events, right?"

"It's not just memorizing! I have to write an essay on all of this!" Kara waved her hand around at all the textbooks on their bed.

"Who told you to take 'The Effects of Colonization on Turtle Island', 'Intro to the Islamic World', 'The African Diaspora in the Americas, 1492-1804', and 'Intro to Chinese History' with the language of instruction being Chinese." Alex asked bluntly. "Maybe you shouldn't overburden yourself."

"Uh, I believe the correct Earth idiom to use is, 'pot calling the kettle black'. Aren't you working your way through some PhD programs right now?" Kara asked sweetly. "Don't you already have enough credits to graduate but you're still-eep!"

Alex had rolled Kara over and pinned the woman, growling playfully. Kara mock-struggled a bit, but let Alex pin her down, grinning up at her sister.

"I win." Alex replied smugly. Kara pouted a bit before she rolled them over so quickly, Alex wasn't sure how she ended up on the bottom of this little wrestle pile. Alex smirked up at Kara, knowing that the Kryptonian sometimes did like to use her strength and show off a little bit. This was one of the ways she liked to do it.

"Say you give." Kara demanded.

"Never!" Alex said laughingly, putting up a fake struggle while Kara sat on Alex and kept her hands trapped above Alex's head easily. Alex bucked up, grinning. Usually, Kara would make some over-dramatic supervillain speech, but Kara's previously mirthful mien to change to a wide-eyed, deer-in-headlights look. Alex could also feel Kara's grip on her hands suddenly loosen that iron-tight grip, so Alex took the opportunity to wrap her legs around Kara's waist and flip them again.

"Got you!" Alex grinned, sitting on Kara smugly. One second Alex was sitting, knees on either side of Kara's waist, and the next she was thrown off Kara, sent tumbling off the bed.

"Alex! Are you alright?" Kara super-sped to the end of the bed, helping Alex up gently.

"Kara!" Alex rubbed the back of her head, checking to see if there was a lump. "That hurt!"

"I'm sorry," Kara looked genuinely remorseful. "I g-guess I just, I got… never mind."

Alex sighed, reaching up and raking her fingers through Kara's unruly hair.

"It's okay. This has been your first accident in a long while which is really good!" Alex flopped back on the bed and patted the spot next to her. "But enough goofing around, let's continue."

"A-Alright." Kara stuttered, crawling back next to Alex. They continued going through the chapter in the book that Kara was having trouble with, Alex noting briefly that Kara was at least taking this seriously and no longer treating this as just another cuddle fest, though she seemed extra squirmy. The end of their wrestle play-fight had been a little blip in their usual trouble-free existence and Alex didn't think more on it.

But by next week, Alex was noticing something was up. Kara had been acting weird. And Alex just couldn't figure out what the problem was. It was just that, for more than a few days, Kara had not been able to look her in the eye and Kara had also been running off, telling Alex she was going to study at the library instead of at home. Alex had instead bumped into Kara-when she was supposed to be 'at the library'-at a cheap cafe. Kara had immediately slammed her laptop closed when she saw Alex. Good thing they had chosen a really durable laptop for Kara. The real hammer on the head was when Kara didn't roll over to spoon her at night and religiously kept to her side of the bed.

The third night in a row with no rollovers from Kara, had Alex frowning over her breakfast at Kara. Alex had made them pancakes and Kara had been wolfing them down as normal. Except she wouldn't meet Alex's eyes when Alex tried to talk to her. The whole week Kara had been sneaking around and avoiding Alex and Alex was starting to get kind of hurt, as she stabbed at her eggs grumpily.

"Alex?" Kara's voice was tentative. "What's wrong?"

" _I don't know. Can you tell me?_ " Alex replied in Kryptonian. Her snappy response made Kara tense up.

" _I don't know what you mean._ " Kara replied nervously. Alex, not feeling like dealing with this, got a tumbler and poured the rest of her coffee in it.

" _Well, I'm going to lessons. Please clean. I'll see you later._ " Alex was out the door. Alex was annoyed and angry, but things were still good, they were so good right now. Alex was doing really well in school. Her parents were proud of her. Alex didn't know how she even managed it but her profs all backed her one hundred percent and had basically tricked her into applying for several programs… it was… sweet how much they wanted her to succeed and she was trying hard not to disappoint them.

And Kara. Kara was taking her one hundred and one different courses, and doing spectacularly in them. She had finally decided on a double major, History and Philosophy, But sometimes Alex would see Kara flipping through Alex's textbooks with more than passing interest. The questions she asked made Alex realize Kara's knowledge of the subject was greater than maybe even Alex's or her profs.

Having Kara around, just having her there, made things so much brighter. Nothing was insurmountable and nothing was so difficult that Alex couldn't come back from, not when she knew Kara had gone through so much worse. Alex would admit to anyone that Kara was one of the bravest, kindest, and strongest people that she had ever had the privilege of knowing. She might even go out and say that Kara was THE bravest, kindest, and strongest person in the world. Kara just made everything BETTER, for some reason. And Alex always knew that Kara was better than her at everything, even if Kara never saw it that way.

So Alex worked hard, not just for herself, but for Kara, to keep pace with her alien sister, but that required a lot of time on Alex's part. After her little tiff in the morning with Kara, Alex had gone to her class, then to her teaching assistant gig. Alex had her labs after that, THEN some in-office hours, so naturally, Alex had missed dinner. Alex hadn't called Kara back when Kara messaged to ask where Alex was, only sent a terse three-word message saying 'I'll be late'.

Kara had replied, her missive sweetly worried, telling Alex to call her when she was on the way so Kara could heat up food for her. Alex had chosen, obstinately, to not call at all, and not send a message when she was on her way home. Alex was the 'older' one here! She didn't need Kara worrying about her.

But maybe if Alex had called in advance, it would've prevented the highly awkward situation of Alex walking in to see Kara with her pants down to around mid-thigh, sitting down on a towel on the sofa, trying hard to… it seemed like she was trying to pump something up and down in the general vicinity of her groin.

"Ah! Oh god! I'm sorry!" Alex dropped her bag on the floor, frozen to the spot, thankful she had closed the door behind her.

"Alex, don't look!" Kara screeched, her hands over the cylindrical contraption that was… staying put right over Kara's pelvic region.

"Is that… are you…" Alex gaped at the black coloured silicone… sex toy. It was definitely a sex toy. Oh my god, Kara was using a sex toy.

"STOP LOOKING!" Kara screeched, her glasses slipping down her nose. The Kryptonian was so flustered, she seemed torn between getting up and running to the washroom, and trying to curl in on herself to hide the contraption. Or probably, Kara just wanted to curl in on herself and die from embarrassment.

"Kara, please just-just, I'm going to leave and can you just put yourself together and-" Alex fumbled behind her, trying to cover her eyes while trying to find the doorknob.

"No, Alex, I… I need help." Kara sounded distressed enough that Alex lowered the hand covering her eyes to try and look at Kara-only in the face. Nowhere below the neck.

"Kara. What-I'm afraid to ask." Alex kept her hand up, the height and position of her hand helping to cover up Kara's body from view, so Alex could look Kara in the eye without seeing that… thing.

"I'm stuck." Kara said miserably. "I can't get out."

"What." Alex dropped her hand now, stunned. "You're what?"

"Stuck." Kara repeated miserably, humiliated and looking so ridiculous with that… black silicone thing stuck there.

"Okay, did you… stick it in… too far?" Alex was now trying not to laugh, because what other reaction could she have to something like this? It was either that or stick with that uncomfortable feeling that was whirling in the pit of her stomach.

"Alex…" Kara was close to tears now.

"Oh, Kara." Kara's tears had always been one of Alex's weakness, and Alex found herself at Kara's side now, belatedly realizing now she was up close and personal to the contraption jutting out from Kara's groin.

"Is that, um," Alex frowned at the long black… tubular thing. It was really big. "That's not like, a dildo."

"I don't have…" Kara's voice lowered, the discomfort and the sheer awkwardness would've been funny if Alex didn't know that Kara was a second away from crying. "Well… I can… but… I did it this way."

Alex followed Kara's gaze to the box on the table with a stereotypical bug-eyed green martian on the box, followed by descriptions on how this 'product' was so awesome it was out of this world. Alex waved at the box, not knowing what else to say.

"So… your… thing… is stuck in… that… thing?" Alex tried to be as serious as possible, but she couldn't help the smirk that was growing on her face.

"Alex!" Kara whined, this time actual tears at the corner of her eye. "Please!"

"Okay, okay. Have you just," Alex made a ripping motion with her hands. "Just tried to rip it apart?"

Kara still looked ashamed, but had a slightly scandalised look on her face. "I spent like a hundred bucks on this!"

"Oh my god, Kara." Alex let out an exasperated groan. "I will buy you another one!"

"No! This is already humiliating enough, can you PLEASE help me get this off?" Kara pulled at the black… fleshlight, wincing as she did so.

"Hey, hey, hey. That can't feel good." Alex tried to take on a purely professional air. "How did you… how did you even-"

"I put it in." Kara pressed a cushion over her own face, too embarrassed to be having this conversation with Alex looking at her face.

"You put it in."

"I… I put my… my thing into this thing. And then… it felt good for a little bit." Kara's voice was muffled and Alex tried not to laugh at how miserable Kara sounded. "But then it… it was too… rough?"

Alex frowned, thinking a bit. She picked up the box off the coffee table to examine it.

"Don't look at that!" the cushion was thrown to the floor and Kara made a mad grab for it, Alex holding it out of reach.

"Stop that. I'm trying to read the instructions. We're trying to solve this." Alex cleared her throat, using her teaching assistant voice. "It says, 'pour lube in and enjoy'. Did you pour lube in?"

The throw on the couch went over Kara's head.

"Kara." Alex put the box back on the table.

"No. I didn't."

"You just… put it in."

"... yes. Oh my god can we just not talk about this?"

"Did you try to…?"

"I tried everything! I was trying to… to make it feel good again, and maybe I would… make some… lubrication…" Kara's words ended in a garbled mix of barely understandable English and Kryptonian. "But it just hurt!"

"We might have to just rip it-"

"Do you have lube?"

"No. I don't keep lube in the nightstand on my side of the bed that I share with you, Kara." Alex deadpanned. She rubbed her chin, really trying to solve this conundrum. "Unless… vegetable oil?"

"No, oil degrades the silicone."

"So you can research lube but not remember to use it?"

"I forgot to buy it, okay? And I was just… I thought… I was just so ready!" Kara wailed. "Can you just bury me in a hole?"

"Again if you rip-"

"No, it's like two hundred dollars!"

"You said a hundred!" Alex gaped at Kara.

"The website said this was the best!"

"How is some silicone worth-oh my god, I'm not going to ask. Okay." Alex looked at the black tubular thing. It was almost translucent, but the black colouring hid Kara's… thing a little bit. Alex could still see the outlines of it, which was moving very minimally since it was entrapped.

"Can you withdraw it back in-"

"No. I'm-no. Just, no. I can't."

"Alright. Okay. Okay. Um." Alex watched Kara… wiggle minutely inside the silicone trap. "Maybe human sex toys weren't made for… alien genitalia. Um."

"Alex." Kara drew out the last syllable in a plaintive whimper, her face appearing from under the throw. The sound of Kara's voice… did things to Alex. Alex could feel the flush crawling up her neck and deliberately looked down at the silicone toy more closely, trying to avoid looking Kara in the eye.

"You've been pulling. Maybe try… wiggling it side to side?"

Kara eagerly did as told, but after a good maybe twenty seconds of trying, Kara was close to tears again.

"Kara, you're hurting yourself." Alex placed a hand on top of Kara's to stop her from trying. Kara went still at the touch of Alex's hand on hers.

"Can I… can I try?" Alex was trying not to die of embarrassment. But Kara was just too impatient to wiggle herself out of it.

"Um." Kara put her hands down in the couch, watching Alex with a strange look on her face. "Uh, yeah. Sure."

As gentle as she possibly could, Alex took the silicone toy in both hands. Kara sucked in a breath slowly through her teeth, as Alex got a firmer hold on the silicone toy and tried to twist it carefully but stopped at the grunt Kara gave. Alex then tried to wriggle it upwards and off Kara's junk, as gently as possible. Kara let out a low hiss, as the silicone stopped moving upwards.

"Seems like you've created too much suction." Alex hummed, not looking up at Kara's face. Alex gave the silicone contraption an experimental squeeze, and Kara let out a low, strangled groan.

"Sorry did that-"

"No, it's… " Kara's eyes were closed and her hands were fisted, pressed against her side. Alex didn't know what possessed her, but she gave another slow squeeze of her hands. Kara's head lolled bonelessly to drop back on the headrest, the noises that escaped Kara's throat filled Alex with a heady kind of weightlessness.

"Kara?"

"It… it feels good."

"Oh."

Alex didn't know whether to stop or not. Her heart was pounding and Alex was trying frantically to catalogue the responses her body was giving and explain away why she felt such a deep jerk low in her abdomen when Kara had responded to her touch. Alex dealt with these confusing feelings by trying really hard to just systematically and clinically keep a checklist of the way her body felt. That really didn't help, though, to focus on how her body was agonizing over… something… and the feeling of that something welling up inside her. Alex felt like she was drowning.

"Alex… try… again?" Kara panted, sounding so much like she was begging.

So Alex gave another little squeeze that had Kara's hips pumping up once in a short, powerful thrust that petered off into lazy undulations of Kara's body. Alex watched, entranced, on the precipice of some horrible feeling, watched Kara fucking into the toy, into Alex's clenched hands.

"Alex?" Kara's voice was high and breathy. "What… what is this?"

"Sorry, I just wanted to see if it would, I don't know, help. But if this-I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I know this is probably really bad touching, so… oh shit. Oh shit, is this bad? I'm sorry. I-" Alex let go of the toy, wiping her hands on the front of her jeans, then used the back of her hand to swipe at the sweat beading on her brow.

"No." Kara still sounded breathless. "I-I think… it's helping? It's helping so… please? Please just… continue. It's okay. Really, Alex."

Kara watched Alex, her eyes half-lidded, her movements lethargic. But when Alex placed her hands around the toy again, she could feel Kara pulsing inside of the silicone encasement. Alex had to break eye contact, giving a wordless nod as she squeezed again, testing the give of the toy, wondering how it felt like, what IT would felt like.

"Alex." Kara's hands, clenched at her side were shaking, from the strain, her hips lifting up off the couch. " _Please._ "

Alex gave small rhythmic squeezes, staring at Kara's… thing, twisting inside the confined space. This was… all a bit much. But Kara needed her help and Alex knew maybe this was a bit TOO MUCH and she should've insisted on opening up this silicone trap. But this was fine. This… was fine. If Alex repeated that to herself enough times, it might just be true.

As Alex squeezed, she tried to come at this in a more… analytical way. If she pretended this was just an experiment, then this wouldn't be weird. Alex could see how there were some wet spots inside the silicone toy, could hear that there was give inside the silicone toy.

Meanwhile, Kara was giving these slow wave-like thrusts, putting her whole body into the movement, the wet, squelching noise of Kara moving inside the black-coloured fleshlight filling Alex's ears. Alex tried to keep it… methodical. Kept track of the pressure Kara liked, adjusting the grip of her fingers, trying to give minute little pumps to work the lubrication around the inside of the toy. Alex concentrated on the sounds Kara was making, the deep groans and the barely audible whimpers, and occasionally, the whispered Kryptonian word or two that would make Alex's ears burn and caused her insides to clench.

" _Alex… Alex, please. Please. Please, please..._ " Kara was begging so nicely, her feet planted on the floor of their apartment. Alex didn't know if Kara was trying to stop herself from thrusting up into the enclosure of Alex's hands or was trying to get more leverage to do so. There was enough lubrication inside of the sleeve for Kara to slip out easily.

Kara let out a little mewling noise of displeasure as Alex, with a last tightening of her hands, pulled the device off gently, the truly obscene 'schlorping' sound of Kara coming out of the trap almost made Alex choke on her own spit. Kara's thing came out, bulged and engorged, a deep scarlet colour before it shifted quickly to a iridescent blue, then a violet.

" _It's fine, Kara. You're out._ " Alex rubbed along the jut of one of Kara's hips, holding the silicone toy in the other hand, opening facing upwards, so it wouldn't drip all over their floors.

" _I'm not done._ " Kara's eyes met Alex's pleadingly. " _Alex…_ "

"Kara." Alex didn't know what kind of expression was on her face but it made Kara's face fall.

" _I'm sorry. I'm sorry, this was totally inappropriate. I apologize._ " Kara covered her junk with one hand and Alex couldn't stop her eyes from wandering down to this… thing wriggling underneath Kara's hand.

" _Please stop staring at my ovipositor._ " Kara implored.

" _Ovipositor… is that,_ is that like the word for penis?"

"No, this isn't a penis. It's an ovipositor." Kara cupped both hands over her ovipositor now, as it tried to curl around her fingers or wriggle it's way out between Kara's fingers. They fell into silence again. Just sitting there wordlessly, Alex still holding the silicone toy and Kara, horribly mortified.

"I'm sorry." Kara repeated miserably. "I'm really sorry."

Alex let out a long sigh, then gingerly placed the silicone toy in the box on the table, so it stood up and it wouldn't spill.

"Is this part of your Stage of Growth?"

"Yes." Kara sniffled. "It's the last part. We register and submit samples. For the Fertility arm of the Science Guild. It's a part that all adult Kryptonians go through."

"Okay, well, so, there's like no sex?"

"No, the technicians deal with that, too. We don't have much desire under Rao's red light, but we have that part of us dealt with, just in case."

Alex blanched. "They… neuter you?"

Kara scrunched her face up. "I… guess. But not like how humans do to their dogs. It's a process that I can't really explain since it'll just seem like it's magic to you. It's fine though, everyone gets it, especially the men with the pouches."

"Seahorses." Alex shuddered, remembering the video she watched once, of a seahorse father giving birth. She was not going to ask about Superman's junk or the birthing process. Definitely not.

"But it's… not like a seahorse ovipositor." Alex nodded at the squirmy mess under Kara's hand.

"Let's not talk about this." Kara was grimacing, clutching at her genitals and trying to get them to calm down. All of this would be hilarious if not for the fact that Kara looked so absolutely unhappy.

"Is this why you've been acting so weird?"

"I was doing research. I don't have Viox to ask anymore or to posit the effects of Earth on my body, so I looked up human mating."

"And you got…?" Alex looked at the box, then back at Kara.

"It was all just porn." Kara said miserably. "My friends are all dating and having sex, but I don't know what that is, Alex."

"Oh."

"And I don't know, I don't know if I'll… hurt anyone." Kara's words were barely audible.

"Kara, did you try to talk to Eliza about this?"

The look on Kara's face said it all. Alex understood right away. Eliza had become a somewhat of a maternal figure to Kara on Earth and was also Kara's doctor, but Kryptonian social etiquette still held strong and Kara would balk at some of the examinations. Usually, AI's not unlike Viox would do all kinds of scanning without touching a person or removing any clothing. It was different for Kara, to get accustomed to the prodding, the customs, the practice of medicine of Earth.

"Alex... what if I can never go on 'a date'?" Kara asked quietly. "What will I do when I get to the sex part?"

"No, Kara. Don't ever think that." Alex shot that idea down quick. "Sex isn't always involved."

"But it is if the person you're with is 'special'. That 'special someone'."

"It's not-"

"But maybe that's what the other person wants." Kara was visibly upset. "What if I can't ever have someone because I can't give them that? If I have to be on Earth, I have to get used to Earth relationships."

"So you just wanted to try that to see if you'll hurt anyone?" Alex nodded at the silicone thing again.

"...yes."

A sudden thought left an unpleasant feeling in the pit of Alex's stomach. "Do you like someone?"

Kara looked up at Alex, the flush on her cheeks having nothing to do with her recent exertions as she nodded meekly. Just the confirmation of Kara's interest in someone, the sign of her really hitting puberty made Alex feel like all the air had been knocked from her lungs.

"Congratulations!" The false-cheery voice sounded shrill in Alex's ears. "Do I know them? It's that weird kid with the patchy beard, isn't it?"

"Don't be mean, Alex." Kara managed a small smile.

"Well, can you… I mean…" Alex waved at the silicone toy, suddenly very eager to help Kara, so that she can at least chase away that feeling that felt like it was squeezing the air from her lungs. "Just…"

"I can… keep my ovipositor inside. But I wanted… I wanted to try that." Kara's ovipositor was now lying limp in her hands, moving sluggishly but still looking swollen and a bit slimy.

"Well, if you want, I can… help? Well, with trying to figure out, like, anatomically how it would work. And I could… supervise?"

Kara shook her head and chuckled. The chuckle turned to an all out laugh and a few seconds later, Alex was joining Kara in the laughter, too. The situation was just so outside of normal. It was one of those situations you just HAD to laugh off or else it would be weird forever.

"When we're old, we're going to look back on this and be like, remember when I helped get you out of that silicone vagina?" Alex joked. Kara stopped mid laugh, choking on air. As she coughed, Alex's attention was caught by how Kara's ovipositor split into… THREE separate tentacle-like thing at a particularly hard cough, before wrapping and twisting together into one squirmy strand.

"Your thing is like a mimic octopus." Alex shook her head. She had never seen Kara's ovipositor up close before. Alex knew what Kara looked like naked, which was very much like a regular human being with what appeared to be regular human female genitals. Now Alex knew for a fact that Kryptonian ovipositors were usually retracted in the body.

"I guess there's some passing resemblance." Kara looked down, her hand slowly stroking at herself before she suddenly seemed to realize what she was doing and stopped.

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's… you know, you can go ahead and-I'll give you some privacy. I can just… you know, just-" Alex got up and waved wildly in the direction of the washroom. "I'll go take a shower."

"Wait!" Kara called out, sounding a bit desperate to stop Alex's retreat. "Um… were you serious?"

"About?"

"About helping me." Kara chewed on her bottom lip nervously. "Because I kind of… I want you to… watch."

It felt like the bottom had dropped out in Alex's stomach and a feeling of anxiety hit her.

"What?"

"Just-just so I don't get stuck again! And I feel better. With you here. This was actually kind of really scary." Kara admitted.

Alex laughed again, not knowing what to say, laughing until she saw that Kara definitely wasn't laughing and now looked a bit hurt.

"You're serious? You're scared?"

"I've never even-I don't know what I'm doing!" Kara pointed at her thing. "I have no reference for this, just porn, which I read was not that reliable. And my case doesn't seem to have any kind of remote Earth equivalent, besides some nature documentaries I remember watching. Anyways, if you could treat me like a test subject or something, help me find out more about my… condition… then it won't be as scary."

Alex opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, doing a pretty good impression of a fish. Alex was stuck. She had offered to help… but hadn't thought of what that help would actually entail.

"Kara-"

"It's okay." Kara waved her hand frantically, then slapped it back on her ovipositor which had started comically looking like it was… waving at Alex. "No, I get it, it's a stupid idea."

"No, Kara, I-I'm not that experienced at all. I'm not a pro on this topic." Alex chewed her bottom lip nervously. "It's not like I've had sex yet."

"What?" Kara seemed stunned. "But you've gone on dates-"

"What did you think I did during those dates?" Alex was slightly offended.

Kara shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know. I don't like to think about it. Not after… well. I just tried to ignore it."

Alex knew that Kara was referring to that time when Alex was supposed to go to Rebecca's house for a sleepover.

"Kara," Alex had always been so tactile with Kara and couldn't help touching Kara's knee, trying to ignore how Kara trembled under her hand. "I didn't do anything. The closest to ANYTHING was when I was making out with one of the guys that my friends had set me up with, and he kind of… blew in his pants."

"Ew." Kara breathed out, sounding disgusted but also a bit… relieved?

"Yeah. So." Alex shrugged uncomfortably. "If you want me to, I don't know, watch you so you feel more comfortable, um, sure. But I can't give you tips or anything because I firstly have no relevant experience and secondly, your thing is literally from out of this world, as are you."

"So… you'll watch me?"

"As long as we never tell my mom." Alex winced, the image of Eliza clear in her mind's eye. "I do not want to explain to her what we are doing."

Kara crossed her heart with one hand, her eyes zeroing in on the silicone toy resting on the table, absolutely ready to continue her experimentation. Alex sighed, picked it up and handed it to Kara.

"Alright. Do you want me to just, um," Alex scooted backwards to the far end of the couch. "I'll be here, kay? Just watching."

"Okay." Kara sat with her legs crossed under her, settled back into her side of the couch, facing Alex. Kara's nervous smile thinned into a look of determination as she held the toy over her ovipositor.

"Oh, one second." Alex jumped off the couch and was back with a pad of paper and a pen from her discarded bag that she had left on the floor. "Okay, go."

"Alright-"

"Wait." Alex stopped Kara again.

"Whaaaaat?" There was a definite whine in Kara's voice.

"Are you just going to just jam it in?" Alex looked at the toy dubiously, and the wriggling mass protruding from Kara's nether regions.

"Sure!"

"No, this is how you got stuck last time." Alex sighed. "Can you-can you put it in slowly?"

"How?" Kara pouted.

"Slow. Just take your time."

Kara frowned but did as told, holding the opening of the toy towards her genitals and inching it slowly towards herself. Splitting into four, the ovipositor twisted itself together again and corkscrewed into the toy slowly. The entry was accompanied by Kara's almost soundless exhale. Just a little staccato of sound, a puff of air forcing its way out of her throat.

Alex watched in fascination as more of Kara's ovipositor slipped out of Kara, filling the black-coloured silicone. It was a slow-moving, pulsing mass, and the ovipositor seemed to be able to piston itself forward. It reminded Alex of how snakes moved.

"Can I ask questions?" Alex inquired, stopping Kara in her tracks.

"Umm… Mmm… yes." Kara nodded, before continuing her slow push into the toy.

Since Kara had managed to lubricate it-'with my help' Alex thought, before slamming down on that thought-Kara was slipping inside smoothly, her coo of pleasure raising the tiny hairs on Alex's forearms.

"Do you, I mean, is it moving by itself?"

"Y-yeah."

"Like, are you controlling it?"

"Mmhm." Kara hummed, plenty distracted, but eyes intent on Alex's face.

"So you don't use your hips-"

"Alex… when you…" Kara interrupted her sister. "...how do you… was it-"

"I just, like, with my hands." Alex knew what Kara wanted and tried to explain as best as she can, using her hands to make an awkward squeezing motion with both hands. "Kind of like, how sometimes… you know."

"Alex… what… what do you mean?" Kara's eyes shone with curiosity.

"Just… like how a girl might feel. You know, inside." Alex mumbled. But Alex knew Kara could hear her, saw those blue eyes blink at Alex behind her glasses, before taking on an excited gleam.

Kara looked down at the toy in her hand, giving an experimental squeeze before going a bit slack-jawed, her eyes closing at the sensation of the pressure. Alex saw Kara's hips jerk up messily trying to thrust into the toy but only succeeding in popping out of it, dribbling a clear viscous substance onto the towel on the couch, the same substance oozing out of the toy.

"Kara," Alex watched, wide-eyed as Kara, eyes still closed, tried to unsuccessfully stuff herself back into the silicone vagina, groaning in frustration when she only managed to miss the mark, smearing the outside of the silicone hole and her hands with the thick, clear liquid.

"Slow, Kara." Alex tried to keep her voice low and calm, despite feeling like she didn't have enough air, the shallow breaths she'd been taking was doing nothing to get rid of that drowning feeling.

"Alex. Alex… … oh." Kara groaning out her name as her ovipositor seemed to heed Alex's instructions and carefully slithered back inside the toy.

Kara calling Alex's name stirred a feeling almost like pride in Alex, an egotistical pride that she could make Kara feel like this. And selfishly, Alex was proud that she was probably the first and so far the only one to make Kara feel this way.

"Is that… how you feel?" Kara was looking at Alex again.

Alex avoided Kara's scrutiny, jotted something down, some inane observation so it would give her something to do while Kara's gaze remained on her.

" _Is it, Alex?_ " The haughty tonal notes of Kara's native Kryptonian sent a shiver down Alex's back.

" _Yes._ " Alex tried to act distracted, tried not to meet Kara's eyes. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Kara's low groan hit her right in the guts, and it was making Alex feel kind of like the thermostat had been turned way up.

" _Do… all girls… do that? Squeeze?_ " Kara's breathing was a bit reedy.

" _I'm not sure._ " Alex squirmed in her seat. Kara paused for a second, straightening her legs out in front of her but keeping her knees bent. Planting her feet on the sofa and still facing Alex, Kara pumped in and out of the tight silicone enclosure in slow motions, her hands squeezing sporadically.

" _When? When do you…?_ " Kara asked. Alex shrugged, embarrassed by where this conversation was going and how Kara's eyes never left her face.

" _When I'm, um,_ " Alex licked her lips nervously, trying to think of the words in Kryptonian. " _When I… when I need. When I want._ "

" _What… do you… need? What do… you want?_ " Kara kept asking questions and Alex squirmed uncomfortably, mortified that she felt _wet_. That this little exercise that she was doing with her Kara, who was supposed to be her sister, was making her REACT. And when Alex looked at Kara-flushed, clueless, trusting, Kara-she could feel herself, feel herself NEEDING, clenching on nothing, dripping with the evidence of how incredibly turned on she was right now.

"Alex-" Kara let out a little choked cry, rolling onto her knees, her eyes dark and focused in on her. When Alex saw Kara's nostrils flaring subtly, she knew Kara was picking up her scent.

"Don't smell!" Alex protested, crossing the distance of the couch to slap Kara on the shoulder lightly. "Don't!"

"But… you smell so good." Kara chuckled, low and deep, the low fire in the pit of Alex's stomach roaring into an inferno at that horribly attractive voice. Kara was close enough to scent at Alex's neck, snuffling lightly, centimetres away from Alex's skin.

"This is your fault!" Alex proclaimed, flustered.

"How… is this… my fault?"

Alex froze when the Kryptonian leaned in even closer to sniff at her, crouched over her, hands still wrapped around that ridiculously contraption. Kara pressed her nose against the exposed skin of Alex's neck, laying her head on Alex's shoulders, breathing heavily through her mouth.

"I'm… scared." Kara admitted, her breathing shaky. Alex replied by wrapping her arms around Kara's back and holding Kara as close as possible, without getting in the way of what Kara was doing. Alex held Kara tightly as she moaned into Alex's neck, Kara's hands working between them. Alex was afraid to move, just held on tight, her breathing getting as ragged as Kara's, feeling the flex of muscle as Kara's body heaved and quaked, responding to the pleasure.

Alex held on through the shuddering jerks of Kara's frame, through the frantic, irregular breaths of air that tickled Alex's skin and made Alex shiver. Alex held on when Kara pressed her mouth against Alex's neck suddenly to muffle her groan when Kara started spasming. The reverberations of the sound through Alex's skin sending something like electricity coursing through Alex, the tight feeling in her stomach exploding into something warm and liquid.

And when Kara finally slumped bonelessly onto Alex, Alex held on and leaned back, using her body to pillow Kara's. Alex had to clear her throat a couple of times before she could get the words out.

" _Are you okay?_ "

Kara nodded and mumbled, sated-drunk, her head still nestled at the crook of Alex's neck. Alex rubbed her cheek against Kara's forehead, knocking against Kara's glasses, wondering at this sweet scent in the air. Kara lifted her head to nudge her nose against Alex's jaw affectionately, almost like a cat. And when Kara's lips followed and lingered against Alex's face, Alex didn't make a sound of protest, just held her breath and wondered what would happen next. Could feel the question in the air, in Kara's body, stopped mid-movement so Kara could regard her. Kara nuzzled against Alex's cheek again, testing that boundary, breathing in deep, and letting out a tremulous sigh that tickled Alex's neck when Alex didn't withdraw or push Kara away.

"Alex-"

Alex's stomach let out a loud growl, destroying whatever moment they were having.

" _Oh, you haven't eaten._ " Kara struggled to get up, placing her toy carefully on the coffee table. Alex glanced down, blushed, and looked back up right into Kara's eyes, both knowing what she had been staring at.

"It… went back in." Kara mumbled. She sat up gingerly, then stood, running her hands down her abdomen and thighs, making a face at the stickiness left behind. "I'm going to clean myself up real quick and then get dinner ready for you. I-I saved you something."

Before Alex could reply, Kara had already zoomed away. Alex was left sitting there, feeling like her world had shifted sideways. The only thing she could do was pick up her pen and pad of paper, jotting down all her observations as quickly as possible.

It was just an experiment. It was just Alex helping someone understand the effects of Earth on their alien bodies. It wasn't unlike observing and dealing with reactions to the common cold on some aliens. What she did was… fine. It was fine.

Alex wrote a title to her paper-she decided it would be in the format of an academic research paper-and reassured herself that many notable scientists, like Dr. Alfred Kinsey studied sexology and were well-regarded by the population at large despite the scandalous nature of their topic at the time.

"Fuck." Alex put her pad of paper and pen down, running her fingers through her hair, belated remembering what her hands had been doing just before.

"Alex." Kara, fresh out of the shower, had already changed into a tank top and comfy flannel pants. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Alex waved Kara away. "I'm okay. I just need a minute. Shit. Shit shit shit."

"Alex, it's okay-"

"No, I feel like, what I did… Kara, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have. If-if it was weird, if you don't feel comfortable-"

"Stop freaking out, Alex. It's fine. Really." Kara gathered up the towel on the couch, making sure that none of her… secretions… had leaked through, shaking her head. "I should be the one who's worried, you know? I wanted you to. I asked you to do it so if you're thinking you did anything bad to me, it's not your fault. Did you-was it not ok? I'm sorry if-"

"No," Alex let out a sigh of frustration. This wasn't the problem. She had been willing to do it. She knew Kara wanted her to, accepted that Kara had told Alex in no uncertain terms to help her. "It was fine, Kara. I'm glad I could help."

"Then it's fine with me, Alex. Really." Kara still looked happy and sleepy, her features relaxed. "You really helped. I've been feeling really like, you know, restless and kind of like, how you were saying you needed something. I felt… itchy, um. Yeah. And you got me out of my toy."

Kara picked up her toy and zoomed away, leaving Alex with her thoughts for a minute before zooming back sans towel and toy.

"Go change into something more comfortable, I'll reheat the food I left for you." Kara shooed her away. Alex obeyed, still too overwhelmed to say or do anything. The day was catching up to her and what had just happened… she needed more time to process. So Alex pushed it all into the back of her mind, and went to the bathroom and stripped off all her clothes.

"Take a quick shower! The food's gonna be quick!" Kara's hollered. Alex answered back in a normal volume, knowing Kara could hear her. Then she stood there, naked, just looking wearily at herself in the mirror. Alex could still feel the tension thrumming through her body. Whatever happened tonight had changed something intrinsically in the sisters' relationship, and Alex didn't know what to make of it.

But right now, all she could see in her mind's eye was Kara, her foster sister, fucking into a silicone toy, watching her with bright blue eyes behind black-rimmed glasses. And Alex could feel herself growing slick at the thought, her body more honest than she will ever be. Alex's body was telling her exactly what she needed. What she wanted.

Who she wanted.

Who she needed.

Wearily, Alex dragged herself into the shower and hoped that the water set to freezing would wash away these truths.


	22. Chapter 22

IT'S BEEN SO LONG! I'm sorry, combination of Lunar New Year craziness, accidentally deleting my Tumblr craziness (I'm still immopengu dot tumblr dot com), a lot of bullshit with the Toronto Van Attack (RIP and good thoughts to those recovering), and general work related craziness... SHIT. It's been tough getting time to write.

I really appreciate the ones who pop by with a message or just stop by tumblr to say hi to me and ask about buying a coffee for me even though I haven't been updating much lol. It's very much appreciated. Watch out for another time jump soon.

And for all of you who are in Canada, Ontario... THERE IS AN ELECTION COMING UP. Go out and vote, no matter who you're voting for, exercise your democratic right! It is honestly your duty in a democratic society! And if you don't know who I'm voting for... well, it's quite obvious from my tumblr lol

Alright, good reading y'all, and thanks so much for your patience!

* * *

Kara watched Alex as she slept. Alex had been tired. Bone-tired and exhausted from the day's events, and Kara let her rest, even though she really just wanted to wake Alex up and talk about the thoughts running through her head. How incredible Alex had made Kara feel. Alex's heat burned her and her touch left invisible marks on Kara that inked through her skin, her flesh, her bones.

Kara also wondered about how Alex knew what to do. Kara wanted to go on at length about how wonderful it had been, feeling suffused in heat and the centre of Alex's attention. It was strange, but it had been a very, very pleasurable strange. Could Alex do that to her again? Will it feel the same? Would it kill her? It would be a very good death, Kara decided, if it did kill her. Dying from pleasure. How long did she have to wait in between?

Kara wanted to talk to Alex about her parents dying along with all of Krypton… it ripped her apart, shredded her into meteors that raced away from each other. Kara wanted to tell Alex about space, about the absolute blackness of it, how it had been so oppressive, so infinite that it hollowed out a space within her. How she felt pockmarked with losses. How Kara had been enclosed on all sides by darkness for what seemed like forever, with only temporary wakefulness when Viox would wake her up gently and assess her for stasis degradation. The pieces of Kara only started drifting back together when she woke up to the sight of the House of El's coat of arms, emblazoned across a man's chest. And Kara felt a slight repair along the fault-lines when she realized her cousin, a grown man, was safe and had found her.

But Kara wanted Alex awake to tell her that Alex was instrumental in pushing Kara to start to stitching the pieces of herself back together. With their long talks and Alex's enthusiasm for information about her life, her ability to offer Kara the comfort that she needed… it was what she had needed. Eliza's hovering and unwavering pity was too much sometimes. Jeremiah's fatherly concern and his protectiveness was suffocating. And both Doctors Danvers looked at her, sometimes, nervously.

But not Alex.

Alex who could be cold and aloof. Alex who was awkward and gentle. Alex who burned with a familiar heat, who hugged Kara ferociously and accepted Kara's embraces fearlessly. Alex who knew how to make everything feel better, who grounded her to this Earth and made her feel like this was home.

Kara wanted Alex to be her companion, to be heart-matched. To be for each other, always. Kara knew she had little to offer, even though Viox's voice in the back of her head kept telling her she was the last of the House of El, and anybody should be over the moon to have her as a companion. Kara had little to offer, here on Earth. She did have a strong House, but that didn't count since hers was the only House now with two Kryptonians from the House of El on Earth.

Kara was smart, but she was awkward and definitely had that working against her. Plus, she was expensive. Kara broke things and sometimes got terse messages from Kal asking her to be careful since she always reported everything she broke to Kal so he could pay for it. Kara hadn't quite understood how much that was until Alex had tried to explain money to her in terms of how many tubs of ice cream and pizza that could be bought with the money needed to replace the Danvers' refrigerator.

Kara had been trying really hard, to prove her worth the only way she knew how, and that was to flex her mental muscles. Alex still needed to help her on little human eccentricities that she still had a hard time grasping. But Kara was doing well, working towards what she hoped was the equivalent in academic success to Alex. They could be true partners. Equals. Kara would be able to be there for Alex.

Kara nuzzled into Alex's side, and Alex, even in her sleep, reached out to gather her closer. Kara let out a sigh of contentment. Kara knew, logically, that she was physically stronger than the humans that lived on this Earth. But in Alex's loose grip, Kara felt SAFE.

"Alex?" Kara whispered. Alex stayed asleep, her punishing schedule made sure that she was out like a light nowadays, as soon as her head hit the pillow.

" _Would you let me be yours?_ " Kara tried the language of the supplicant, the language that Houses that were not the House of El, used. " _Would you let me be by your side? I offer you my… my mind, my body, my heart. I would be ever faithful to you and only ask you the same in return._ "

Kara leaned in, pressed her forehead against Alex's cheek. Then, gently, Kara extracted herself from Alex's grip. She had things to do and she needed to get ready for the day. With Alex sleeping soundly, Kara changed into street clothes and put on her glasses, then slipped out of the apartment. Kara started off to the 24-hour grocery around the corner, but not before pausing at an old decrepit payphone to place a call. She called a hello to the old clerk still mopping the floors of the grocery store, and stopped to have a short conversation, her bouts of sleeplessness made her quite familiar with any staff that would be still be awake at any of the establishments that stayed open for the night-owls.

Kara bought the ingredients she needed, tilting her head to track Alex's heartbeat, faraway, but comfortingly loud in her ears. Still slow and steady, Alex's body still at rest. Kara made it back to her apartment, but her steps stuttered, before she seemed to make a decision and make a beeline to another public phone to place another phone call. Then, she continued on home.

Kara made sure she opened the front door with as much care as possible, so she didn't wake up Alex. The worst thing about their open-concept living space was that sounds and smells filled the space easily and there wasn't much anything that could be done about that. So preparations would have to start in the morning. Kara changed and went back to bed, nosing against Alex's forehead. Alex grumbled, but continued sleeping. Kara didn't sleep at all, too keyed-up for what she would be doing, her mind going through the plans she had in her head.

When the sun was finally lightening up the sky, Kara pulled away from Alex to greet the sun. Sol was not Rao, but Kara, slipping out of her clothes, raised her arms up to the East. Kara stretched up, making sure her feet were firmly on the ground and there was no accidental hovering, then swung her arms down slowly, smoothly moving into another form. Kara could imagine her aunt's voice and sometimes Viox's, teaching her the movements, giving her the secret of the story that the warriors were all given.

Kara closed her eyes and delved into the memories as she went through her forms, remembering her mother chiding her Aunt Astra-mirror images of one another, except for that streak of stark white in Aunt Astra's hair. Pulled in multiple directions by everyone around her, Kara was encouraged by her mother to follow in her footsteps as an adjudicator, while Aunt Astra wooed her with the ways of the warrior. But it was her father, soft and kind, who won this tug of war. Kara was brilliant, one of the youngest members to ever join the Science Guild. Astra didn't give up, though, and continued teaching her in the ways of the Warrior Guild. Alura, too, seemed to disregard the fact that Kara already had an established Guild and would pull Kara into mental exercises and ethical thought experiments whenever she could; also making sure to include Kara when Alura did her investigations and research before adjudications. Alura talked at length about justice and Kryptonian society, lecturing about mercy and the harm and/or good her judgements made to the individual and the collective. Wanted Kara to understand and Kara was always eager to please her mother.

Astra, of course, introduced a very special AI into Korra's survival pod. Viox knew the warrior codex by heart and taught Kara all the traditional dances that the warriors had to know, playing strategy games with her in the dark of the Phantom Zone, testing her decision-making skills using a variation of Alura's thought experiments that asked her, sometimes, the same questions. Kara's answers produced consequences for imagined allies and foes, recountings of history where someone had made the right choice or the wrong choice and how those choices, in the future, could change and what was once wrong seemed to be made right, or what was once right, made wrong. These games tested her logically, just as much as Alura's teachings did.

These memories didn't bring up the debilitating grief like they used to. It was still sharp, like a thin knife along Kara's skin, still stabbing deep, scraping against her bones. But they weren't hammer blows of agony anymore. Dulled down, sometimes aching, but with Alex, Kara could forget a little bit.

The sound of the sheets on the bed rustling made Kara aware that Alex was waking up, every morning like she did, in increments. Rolling onto her side, then on to the other side. Kara could hear Alex's heart's slumber-slow pace, speed up just a bit. Kara had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing. She could feel something inside her light up at the extremely cute little mumble-ly noises Alex was making. Kara looked over the frame of her glasses, saw and heard Alex flex her jaw, wet her lips.

Kara slipped back inside, shrugging back into her clothes, knowing that Alex still had qualms about Kara's casual relationship with nakedness. Kara smiled to herself when she heard Alex's hand flopping onto Kara's side of the bed, patting around, searching for Kara.

"I'm making breakfast." Kara called out, shuffling quietly to Alex's side and kneeling down so Alex could scooch to the edge of the bed and nuzzle against the side of Kara's face. The sleep-drunk version of Alex was completely adorable, and was one of Kara's favourite versions.

"Just rest a bit more? You don't have to get up yet."

Alex nodded sleepily and continued snoozing.

Kara prepared her ingredients, having settled on the perfect breakfast menu some time ago, cracking eggs, whipping up pancake, whisking up whipped cream from scratch. She had practiced making these things when Alex wasn't around, to make sure that she got them just right. Everything had to be perfect. She did cheat a bit and use some super-speed to make sure that her timing was right on everything.

By the time Alex had shuffled out, snuggled in a zip-up hoodie, everything had been plated and Kara motioned to the spread nervously.

"Eggs and bacon! The way you like it!" Kara was shaking with nerves and excitement. She had made sure music was playing softly in the background, some oldies station that she was favouring at the moment, and that Kara knew Alex hummed along to without knowing it. Kara watched anxiously as Alex eyed her spread with amusement. Kara had made everything that Alex had ever enjoyed eating at breakfast. Eggs, of course-one sunny-side up, the other scrambled-a few strips of bacon cooked soft, the way Alex liked it… a couple of sausages, plated nicely with beans on the side and cut up fruit. There was even salsa and guacamole on the side, crispy buns slathered in butter and condensed milk, pancakes, baked beans, broiled fish, stuffed arepas… and to finish off the spread, a mug of the coffee at that fancy coffee place Alex loved.

Kara had wanted to maybe to do something more… impressive. But Alex appreciated simple things in the morning, and Kara knew that. She had to get this right, she had to make sure Alex accepted everything.

"Wow." Alex sat down on one of the barstools at the kitchen island, looking impressed.

"Do you like it?" Kara had her hands clasped together in front of her, shaking a bit from the stress of it all. Would Alex accept her offering of food? It was one of the most important parts of the ceremony, the first meal of the day.

Alex reached out to grab Kara and pulled her into a loose, one-armed hold. With her other hand, Alex picked up the crispy buns and took a bite, making deep humming noises of appreciation that made Kara's insides feel weird.

"It's perfect." Alex's voice was gruff, embarrassed and bashful. "But you don't have to make a thing of last night. It's… it's whatever. You didn't have to make me breakfast. And let's not tell my mom about what we did last night. EVER. She'll freak out."

"But… so-so does that mean we can't do that again?" Kara whined, suddenly feeling panicked and sad. "I can't ask you to help me again?"

"You're going through a weird Kryptonian puberty thing, right? So can I rightly surmise that all those times you've been sneaking out to cafes with your laptop, you were looking at porn or porn-things?" Alex felt a bit smug when Kara choked a bit on nothing but air.

"Alex! No!" Kara pouted at Alex. "I wouldn't-it's a public place!"

"Then what were you doing?"

Kara looked down at Alex's breakfast and muttered something inaudible.

"What?"

"I said," Kara cleared her throat nervously. "I was watching dance videos."

"What? You could watch those anywhere."

"I'm…" Kara fidgetted. "I was researching how humans, specifically American humans, h-how they engage in a courtship. A-And I've never gone 'clubbing' or to the bar that often because sometimes the music is too loud. And I don't know how to dance-"

"Kara, you just have to let these things happen organically." Alex says in exasperation, stabbing angrily at her egg until it bled yolk all over her bacon strips. Kara bit her lower lip, wondering miserably if this was going to go downhill. Alex suddenly seemed to be in a bad mood.

"But I want to really do well. I want to know how to court a human." Kara fidgeted with her fork nervously.

"We don't 'court', Kara." Alex smiled wryly at Kara, even though this topic seemed to make Alex more agitated.

"But I don't want to 'date'." Kara cut into her food sullenly. "I want to court. It's the closest approximation of what we do when we want a companion."

"Oh, so it's that serious?" Alex ate a forkful of food, her grip still around Kara's waist, keeping her in place.

"I am serious." Kara nodded.

"We don't do 'companions' on Earth, Kara."

"I know. But I'm a Kryptonian." Kara said earnestly. " _I'm of age and I am mature enough to know what I want, and I want this. This is a piece of my Kryptonian heritage that I would like to keep alive._ "

" _But humans won't know what being a companion even means-_ "

" _But you would know. And that's all that matters._ " Kara smiled at Alex, hesitant and unsure. " _I would be okay with that if you were. And we could get Kalex to register the companionship._ "

The tight, unhappy look on Alex's face, made Kara feel all at once like she couldn't breath and that she wanted to barf at the same time. Alex didn't want this. Alex would reject her. Alex wouldn't want her.

" _Please. Just, hear me out. Don't say anything, please. Just please don't make a decision yet-just let me… let me officially ask you._ " Kara pleaded. "I can prove to you that I can… I can provide for you. Everything. Just… _Please choose me, Alex Danvers. I know I have nothing to offer you, but I want to petition you to be my companion. And-and I want to prove to you, that I am worthy. I have nothing to offer, but please let me try to win you over. To court you._ "

Alex looked like a deer in headlights and Kara had just slammed into her with a truck. So Kara barreled forward, her chosen flowery words forgotten, desperate the get them out before Alex could think to interrupt her.

" _I, Kara Zor-El, daughter of Alura In-Ze and Jor-El, formally ask you to be my companion. I offer you… all of me. Everything I can. And if you accept, I would be… um… I would… I could make you happy._ " Kara was losing her words at the sight of Alex's face. She felt like she was new on Earth again, unsure of what was going on, alarmed by her new human family's body language and their facial expressions. Unable to read the looks on their face, just like right now. Kara didn't know how to translate that look on Alex's face.

"Kara." Alex turned so Kara was facing her directly, and Kara felt so flustered by her older sister looking up at her. She felt stripped and bared before Alex. More so than even the night before.

"Y-yeah?"

"Can I talk now?"

"If you w-want."

Alex reached up and cradled Kara's face in her hands, looking at her, examining her like she had that first time Kara had caught Alex looking down at her from a window. Kara thought about how different their positions were now, looking up and looking down. Older, now, but still looking at each other with questions only the other could answer.

"So just to be clear… when you say you want a companion… you're talking about me?"

Kara was confused. "Who else would I be talking about?"

"I don't know!" Alex shrugged, embarrassment clear on her face. "This isn't a joke where you're going to just jump out and 'haha got you!' and laugh at me for eternity?"

"Jump out of where?" Kara was even more confused now.

"Never mind." Alex crossed her arms around herself, squeezing herself tightly. Kara was surprised to finally recognize the vulnerability in Alex's eyes, and she knelt down so she could look up at Alex, ready to answer more questions.

"Is it…" Alex hesitated before asking, a blush spreading all the way to the tips of her ears. "Because of what I did? Last night?"

"It was wonderful." Kara proclaimed, eyes glassy at the memory. Kara's earnest reply only made Alex blush an even deeper shade of red. "But that's not why. I've been preparing for a long time."

"How long?"

"Since you first went to university." Kara explained. "Asking someone to be their companion takes a lot of preparation. Some take a preliminary first step-a-actually a step before the official first step-t-to ask first before making preparations. It's more… pragmatic. It's better than preparing and then having it all go to waste, even though it's tradition to prepare first and ask but _Krypton was going through a shortage of supplies but we don't have that problem on Earth_. _I-I've started preparing since you left for university. When you left, that was when I realized how much I care about you. You've stood by me, fought for me, been my sister-in-arms like Aunt Astra and some of her sworn sisters-I had so many words to give to you, to show you how serious I am and how much I can offer you but when I was preparing I realized I didn't really have much to offer and I'm… I'm making a mess of this. I wanted to tell you that-that if you just give me a chance to, maybe give me some more time, I could become more, I would be able to offer you more than just a dead House from a dead planet, I'm-I'm taking so many courses and I'll at least have the equivalent, scholastically-that is to say, I might catch up to you, and you're wonderful and I can't even compare but I'm working hard to be worthy-_ "

" _Kara, slow down. My Kryptonian is not as good as yours._ " Alex wet her lips. " _Companionship still sounds like marriage, no matter how much you have explained it to me._ "

" _It's what we are to each other."_ Kara explained. " _I-I guess it is a bit like marriage. Except for that 'forsake all others' thing. American culture and their weddings are still so strange to me._ "

Alex stayed silent for a couple of seconds, a couple of seconds that really felt way too long for Kara. But that hesitant, fragile expression on Alex's face stayed her tongue and she waited on pins and needles, finally understanding that expression.

"So this courting… is basically you trying to convince me?" Alex looked down at Kara's hands, which Alex's hands had somehow found their way to, fingers tangled in each other's.

" _Convince you that I'm worthy._ "

" _Kara,_ " Alex sighed, the Kryptonian accent rolling off her tongue so naturally that it made Kara's chest hurt deep in those empty spaces inside of her. " _You're-you don't want to choose me._ "

" _I have. And if you say yes, I will court you like a Kryptonian would and I will give you every reason I have to accept me._ " Kara could not think of anything else she wanted more. To have Alex rely on her and for Alex to allow her to take the allowances that such a union would give her. Kara had taken the Danvers name for her own, and that name had shielded her and protected her from her cousin's enemies. In a human sense, they were linked, but Kara needed a Kryptonian bond, something that mattered the way it mattered to her people. Kara wanted this so that when she was gone and if a surviving Kryptonian ever came across the records she'll leave behind, they would know what Alex meant to Kara and what Kara meant to Alex. And they would know Kara hadn't been alone, that the last daughter of the great House of El had survived and called Earth her home.

"Why me?" Alex asked quietly, her expression halfway between frustration and uncertainty.

"Do you… do you not want me?" Kara asked quietly, a dull, painful sensation in her chest.

"No, it's-why me. I'm nobody important and you're-Kara, you're-you're so special."

"In the good way?" A corner of Kara's lip tugged up at the memory.

"Only ever the good way." Alex paused, waiting for Kara to answer her. The Kryptonian just looked at Alex for a long time, then shrugged helplessly.

" _Even in my native language, it'll be hard to explain why. But doesn't our time together mean anything? The feeling that we do belong together? You're my greatest supporter, and you inspire the best in me. This isn't because of some feeling of being indebted to you, it's that I want to be with you. We fit together-at least I feel that we do. And I feel that you feel that we do. So… so I want to. Be together._ " Kara kept a loose grip on Alex's hands, afraid, in her nervousness, she might accidentally crush the human's fingers.

"But we know the sun affects you differently than your red sun. What you're feeling, it may just be because you feel too much now. You're confused." Alex said carefully.

" _Sol does affect me differently. But I've felt a lot of emotions, and I've given it a lot of time. And you, Alex, you're always everything. This is my new normal, where I have to understand how to feel, how to process. And throughout all the confusion, you are what I am sure of. You're… you're everything, Alex. You're just everything._ "

They sat in silence again, the air heavy with Kara's words.

" _Yes._ "

Kara blinked owlishly at Alex, not quite understanding.

" _Yes, Kara of the House of El._ " Alex's voice was tremulous but sure. " _I accept your courtship. The sun has risen, so the day has begun._ "  
Kara stared at Alex, probably looking absolutely gobsmacked, so much so that Alex was very obviously smirking at the expression on Kara's face.

" _I petition for two more risings of Sol and three settings of Sol._ " Kara said desperately, before she lost her chance. Alex made an obvious 'thinking' face which gave Kara even more anxiety, even though she knew Alex was just playing.

" _I will give you three days worth of sunrises and sunsets._ " Alex agreed.

"DONE! Three days!" Kara said gleefully, before becoming curious. "How did you know?"

"Viox." Alex said wryly. "He was pretty sure this day would come and I would have to know how to petition you for more time. He would short a circuit if he found out you were the one doing the petitioning."

"Viox doesn't have circuits-"

"Just a saying, smartypants." Alex smiled at Kara, couldn't stop smiling, really. And Kara couldn't help smiling back, knowing that this was right. This was perfect. This was the person she was meant to be with.


	23. Chapter 23

Sorry for the long wait. I had some bad things happen but I want to thank everyone that left a long comment here or found me on tumblr to tell me that they love what I'm writing. Every time you did that, honestly, I wrote a little bit of something. I'm already two page into the next chapter.

Thank you for all your good words and thank you thank you thank you for reading. I'll try to respond more to the comments that people leave. I'm so sorry again haha. Hope you enjoy this one! It's a bit of a jump and the writing is a bit shoddy but hopefully you guys hold on for the better stuff later :P

* * *

It had all been so perfect.

Kara stared at the closed door of hers and Alex's bedroom door, of their home in Midvale.

Alex inside. Kara on the other.

At university, Kara had made every day she had petitioned for, as wonderful as possible for Alex. She had made breakfast every morning for Alex, woken up her older sister with sweet touches and soft conversations. Performed the daily ceremony with Alex, of words and palm to palm solemnity. Was basically attached at the hip with Alex, which wasn't strange at all, but this time Kara squirmed under Alex's curious, weighted gaze. Knowing that Alex was watching her with new eyes and an expectant air about her.

Kara walked tall, stood tall like she should as a child of the great House of El. Walked Alex to class every day and had food for her whenever she needed, explaining to Alex how Krypton's chronic food shortages meant that edibles were a luxury that needed to be saved only for occasions such as this. That the courtship especially hinged on Kryptonian foods served by the petitioner to the person they were courting, and served only during certain positions of Rao in the sky. Using Sol, Kara offered food accordingly, sun rise-a bit later then that, the time adjusted for Alex's rest- then the moment the sun reached it's zenith, and finally, when the sun set. After their shared meal of a casado that Kara had sourced in secret, Kara fed Alex pieces of sugar apple and pulasan, to Alex's embarrassment.

Kara tried her best to find foods from different parts of Earth, explaining carefully to Alex that it was to signify the part of the formal vows Kara would swear, that she would be able to provide for Alex. Kara had selected her foods and cast as wide a net as possible to cover as many different kinds of food as possible. From every corner of the earth, as the saying goes.

Kara remembered how at the day's end, it had always been a triumph. Alex always performed the ceremony of the setting sun with her, necessary to close out the day's efforts, to signify acceptance of all Kara had given. Alex's fingers would trace patterns down Kara's arms, Alex would hold Kara's hands tightly, her blunt fingernails scraping gently into the palm of Kara's hand. Alex's grasp of the old runes of Krypton was rudimentary, but the words Alex scrawled into the palms of Kara's hands made Kara want to cry.

Kara would hold Alex through the night and whisper every good thought she had of Alex. What she saw in Alex. How good Alex was. How beautiful she was and how Alex made Kara feel like she could move the world without lifting a finger. Kara would whisper to Alex until her older sister fell asleep, knowing Kara wanted her and how much she had given to Kara just for accepting her.

Kara remembered, on the last day, how the quad at the university was playing music, some old crooners' songs, remixed electro-funk and jazz-era music. People were dancing around in clumsy pairs, laughing and tripping over their own feet. Kara had asked Alex to dance, full of nerves, and Alex had just laughed and pulled Kara into the crowd, dancing and spinning round and round, pressed almost cheek to cheek. This was important, and Kara focused on Alex, searching her foster sister's face for reassurance, and for once, Alex had thrown all worries aside and didn't care that they were too close in public. Maybe it was the crowd and the random people dancing with whoever they could get their hands on. Frat boys were trying to cha-cha-cha together while a trio of girls laughed together as they tried for some semblance of coordination.

Kara thought of Alex's long, red hair, catching in the light of Sol, head thrown back in laughter, bright and happy, her expression… weightless. And they danced together, Kara's practiced steps forgotten, just holding Alex close and laughing as they swayed together.

The day marked the end of the courtship. And when Alex accepted the end of the courtship, binding them as companions, Kara had been so happy. And even though it was primitive technology-it would have to do-with Kara using the bulky webcam on Alex's computer to record the ritual. It was a simple exchange of words, the connection of their hands, and the touch of their foreheads against each other. Back on Krypton, with Kara being from the House of El, there should've been a great celebration, and Aunt Astra would most likely have insisted that her niece's companion be recognized and an honour guard to have attended the ceremony. Her mother, Alura, would have wanted fellow adjudicators there, the most prestigious, to recognize and witness the ceremony. Her father would've been so impressed with Alex.

But like this, with just the two of them, Kara didn't need anything else. Grinning giddily, Kara had sent the video out to an email address that Kalex used to communicate with her. Kal-El's AI confirmed receipt and confirmed that it had registered their companionship alongside the surviving records.

Kara had been so excited, practically trembling from the enormity of what she had just succeeded in doing. And just… wishing that her mother was there to see, that her father was here. That her aunt was here-family that would understand what this meant. She had texted Kal-El and formally invited him to the celebration but he had reminded her kindly that they weren't to be seen together. And he hadn't seemed to grasp what exactly was being celebrated or what the formally-worded Kryptonian meant. But this was fine. Kara tried to hold on to the joy she had been feeling, but she could feel the devastation, the guilt really setting in. Kara had a tether now. While all her other ties were completely severed in Krypton's death.

Kara remembered that desperate mix of elation and fear and hope and loss at that moment, and then… and then, Alex had kissed her. Kara had been caught completely unaware, but held still, trying to process this press of lips against her own, feeling like she had been struck by lightning. The kiss hadn't lasted for more than a second, ending with Alex ducking her head, shy, fumbling with her hands and muttering about 'the heat of the moment'. The Kryptonian knew what a kiss was, of course, but it wasn't the most natural thing for a Kryptonian. Sure, Kara had thought about it from time to time but it had always seemed really awkward. It could be because she had broken a boy's nose when he had tried to give Kara her first kiss, and that was traumatizing.

But it seemed natural for Kara to follow Alex's lips and copy the affection. Touch Alex's lips with her own and find out how to move in that curious way that all the movies seemed to say was the climax of two people's relationships. The kiss was all important and Kara, breath catching as Alex kissed back so softly, aching in how tentative it was, full of some kind of wonder, some magic Kara can't name as Alex threaded her fingers through Kara's hair and drew her deeper. And Alex kissed her and kissed her, lips moving to the sides of Kara's face to press against the wetness there as Kara had sobbed at the bitterness of it all, of the sorrow and the happiness of it all.

Alex had let Kara cry, empty out that cup that always seemed to be full to the brim. And even though Kara had just spent three whole days showing Alex exactly why Kara would be worthy, Alex continued to show the Kryptonian that Alex was the right choice for Kara, every second. Kara knew she was so lucky, so lucky to have Alex accept her and choose to be with her.

They had gone to sleep that night, wrapped up in each other like always and Kara had been at peace. And Alex, Kara was sure, felt that same peace, could wager a limb on it. Everything had been fine. Things were as close to perfect as Kara could imagine it to be, with the little Kara had been able to offer during their courtship, Alex had accepted Kara.

Then Eliza had called them.

And they had to come home to bury Alex's father.

He had died on his business trip, fallen off a cliff while hunting down a specimen in the rainforest, so less burying and more dealing the the legal ramifications of death without a body. It came completely from left field, taking them unawares. The last time they had talked to Jeremiah was Alex saying that she would try going back to Midvale when he was home, but they hadn't made the trip. It was so unexpected, so sudden that Kara didn't know how to react. It was almost comical in a way. He had fallen off a cliff, like the old Looney Tunes shows Kara had watched and winced at. That casual violence.

Eliza had been like a stone, completely emotionless. The shock had really done a number on her, and a couple of Eliza's friends stayed close by, slept on the couch at the Danvers' house to watch Eliza and help her. And Eliza would talk, and sometimes the stone facade would crack and she would be inconsolable.

But not Alex. Alex was solid ground. She dealt with the arrangements when her mother was overwhelmed with even just the simplicity of getting ready for the day. Alex had told Kara it was easy, since there was no body to bury. Matter-of-fact. Hand steady as she signed forms and asked questions and answered enquiries and accepted condolences from friends and family. Made arrangements through a lawyer to deal with Jeremiah's effects. Arrangements for flowers. Arrangements for a non-religious service since Jeremiah had always wanted that. Alex called to place the obituary in the papers, called her father's old co-workers, called uncles, aunts, her grandparents on her mom's side, family members, friends…

Kara stood with Alex, unfamiliar to a lot of these people, not like Alex who had grown up with these grieving strangers, these strangers that still stared at Kara curiously. Kara knew she was fidgeting a lot, tasting the grief roiling through the small crowd, sharp and potent. It came off of Eliza in overpowering measures. It rolled off, fresh and heavy from an old woman who introduced herself as Jeremiah's aunt. Kara remembered it was Jeremiah's favourite aunt. The smell of it wafted in bittersweet and aching undercurrents from a group of old coworkers. And from Alex, in staggered bursts, in never ending waves like the tide of the ocean.

"This is my foster sister, Kara." Alex would say, holding Kara's hand and anchoring the Kryptonian. People would give Kara their condolences, too, and Kara would accept them, clumsy in her human etiquette, but they didn't seem to fault her. Kara was unsure of what to do as she blinked at them owlishly behind the glasses Jeremiah had given her.

When Eliza had broken down sobbing, Alex kept an arm around her mother's shoulders. Kara stood there awkwardly, still holding on to Alex's hand, wondering how she could help, if she was any help at all. Kara stood there, miserably, as tears dripped down Alex's face, her foster sister's mouth pressed into a thin, grim line. And Kara knew this was all her fault. No matter what, her being here in the Danvers' lives had lead to this. She was no good for Alex. But Kara would try.

Eliza's friends had helped Alex organize the luncheon afterwards, something to feed the people that came to see off her father. They all came by to talk to the family, all the guests so sombre and sorrowful. While Alex and Eliza spoke to people they knew, Kara slipped away, tried to be helpful, fluttered around trying to get empty glasses and refilling empty sandwich trays.

People tried to talk to Kara, too, but Kara wanted to keep busy, to DO something. She wanted to not be so USELESS. So she kept an eye on Eliza and Alex, urging them to eat when she knew they should since they barely ate in the morning. Kara grabbed them drinks and generally tried her best to be helpful.

By the end of the day, the last guests were taking their leave, and it was Eliza's friends who forced the doctor to take a shower and go to bed, before saying goodbye to the Danvers children. The house was quiet now.

"Eliza's going to sleep through the night." Kara informed Alex. "I saw her take a couple of those 'sleeping pills' her doctor had prescribed her."

Alex nodded wordlessly, looking around the room in a daze. The last person had left and they were alone.

"I can clean up. Why don't you rest?" Kara offered, watching Alex carefully as she seemed to sway to an invisible breeze. It was like watching a ship that was unmoored, drifting.

"I'm just going to take a shower." Alex seemed to finally decide. She passed by Kara, reached out to squeeze Kara's forearm briefly, then left. Kara set about separating and bagging garbage, putting things in the dishwasher, pushing furniture back into their proper positions, and quickly swept the room, opting to vacuum later so the people in the house could rest.

In that time, she knew Alex had finished her shower and had retreated back to their room. And with Kara's tasks finished, Kara was now waiting on the other side of Alex's door. Kara waited, because back when they were children, a closed door meant a need for privacy, meant that either of them needed time. So Kara sat there and waited, watching the door. But when the whiff of something like the ocean, like the darkness of the sea reached her nose, Kara stood up and scratched at the door with the soft pads of her fingers.

A closed door meant a need for privacy but that also meant the sense to know when that privacy needed to be breached and a reminder given that the other was there. Alex had taught that to Kara.

Alex called her in and Kara entered quietly, sitting down on the empty bed on the other side of the room, to watch Alex, to give her that space. But when Alex's shoulders started shaking and the tears came in earnest, Kara took off her glasses and put them carefully on the nightstand, then slipped under the covers with Alex, pulled the other woman half on top of her to hold Alex as she cried.

It smelled like the deep. All mournful and heavy, pressing down in a suffocating way. Kara wondered, with humans and their weird biology, if there was actually an ocean of feelings in them that poured out on occasion and infected everything around them. Because Kara, though she felt… bad… felt even more horrible at Alex's feelings than at Jeremiah's actual loss.

The scent of Alex's grief choked her, like a tight fist clenching at Kara's lungs. Kara held on, though. Held on as Alex stormed, pressed her mouth against Kara's collarbone and poured out her grief, cried like she hadn't cried since they first got the news that Jeremiah was never going to be walking through the door, ever again.

Kara imagined that she was a stone. A boulder. A mountain. Solid and rooted in the earth, holding on to Alex, protecting her from the buffeting winds. And in hushed words from Kara's dead planet, Kara gave a prayer for the dead, the one that sent those that were lost, back to the light of Rao. Coached Alex softly in the words when her tears petered off and Alex listened desperately and repeated Kara's words with sobs torn from her body.

When Alex continued crying, Kara remembered when she had last cried, and remembered how Alex had tried to make her feel better. The Kryptonian ducked forward, hesitantly kissing Alex on the lips. When Alex stilled, Kara kissed her again, with the utmost care, trying to pour comfort into that touch. Lips to lips, breathing in the heated air of each other's breath. It was uncomfortable, the taste of Alex's grief. Kara pressed her forehead against Alex's, hoping her human sister understood the thoughts, the love. Kara's heart.

Kara held on until Alex pushed away and turned around, kept her back pressed against Kara's, one hand reaching back, catching on the jut of Kara's hip and holding her there. Kara lay there helplessly, feeling the shakes roll through Alex's body. Kara felt it when the last hitching sobs finally stopped and Kara could feel Alex's body relax into slumber.

Kara listened to Alex's breathing, still thick with tears. She didn't know how long she lay there listening when, she heard a noise.

She perked up, frowning. Cheating a little, Kara used her flying abilities to float a bit off the bed, to touch the ground soundlessly. She focused on Alex's breathing again... it was loud in her ears, unchanged. But Kara knew it hadn't been too long since Alex fell asleep, and she woke up at the slightest noise and since Jeremiah had died, Alex didn't sleep well.

Kara tilted her head this way and that, focusing on the noise… noises that were… concerning. It wasn't Eliza. Kara's foster mother was also deep asleep. Kara picked up her glasses and put them on, suddenly feeling nervous, remembering some of the horror movies she had watched with Alex back when they were kids. She knew, rationally, that a serial killer can't possibly stab her to death, but Kara was still nervous, which really was silly.

'I'm invulnerable, I'm invulnerable.' Kara repeated to herself in her head, determination setting in. It was ridiculous for her to be afraid. She was going to investigate!

Still floating a bit, Kara slid open the window as slowly and quietly as she could, slipping out onto the roof covering the patio. Kara padded closer to the edge of the roof, then jumped down, stumbling a little bit but catching herself.

There it was again. This time, it was a cacophony of quiet sounds, loud in her ear. Hissed words of a human language she had no knowledge of.

Kara tilted her head this way and that, trying to filter out the various sounds of living things hiding and living in the trees around the property until she caught the sound of something that was alarmingly close. Kara approached the trees cautiously, hands balled up into fists, and startled when a body fell in front of her, from the branches above her.


End file.
